Lines of Least Resistance

By the late 1880s, after more than two centuries of European presence at the Cape, only seven routes led up Table Mountain. Thousands had climbed to the summit, the majority via the gash in the face of the mountain known as Platteklip Gorge, yet vast tracts remained unexplored. Only with the advent of mountaineering in the early 1890s did climbers begin a systematic exploration in their quest for new routes.

Lines of Least Resistance tells the story of Table Mountain through its hiking and scrambling routes. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of the mountain, Riaan Vorster pays tribute to the early pioneers by examining their routes, clearing the sands of time from those which have slipped into oblivion. No two routes are alike; each possesses unique qualities that reveal something of the mountain’s character. Written from a personal as well as historical perspective, the book takes the reader on a journey of discovery along the highways and byways of Table Mountain.”