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First ascent of a rock tower in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

Two South African rock climbers, who have scaled peaks from Patagonia to Pakistan, left Johannesburg last night to attempt the first ascent of a rock tower in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

(Picture: The Torres del Pain in Patagonia in Chile is over 1000m of sheer granite, making it a prime climbing destination. The goal was to climb all 3 towers.)

Mark Seuring, 35, and Andreas Kiefer, 36, will be climbing in a remote and mostly unexplored valley in the former Soviet republic, making this a challenging and risky expedition.

Seuring, a physiotherapist, said on the eve of their departure: “A small team narrows our safety margins, but also allows us to move quicker and lighter. We have been climbing and kayaking together since we were 10 and 11 years old.”

The accomplished pair have set their sights on the steep granite east face of the 5239m Alexander Block in the Llailak Canyon of the Pamir Alai mountain range.

Seuring said: “The peak has sheer rock on every side and looks hard at the top.”

Unpredictable stormy weather at high altitude as well as unknown rock and ice conditions will influence their chance of success.

Another of the team’s goals is to climb Aksu, an almost vertical pyramid with an east ridge of more than 1700m.

Kiefer, an engineer, said: “It will be an adventure. It appeals to me that the valley has been relatively unexplored by Westerners.”

As veterans of the Mountain Club of SA — Seuring’s late father, Herbert, and Kiefer’s mother, Ulrike, introduced their children to the Magaliesberg mountains as toddlers — the two have impressive track records.

Seuring was on the second South African team to climb a hard face on the Central Tower of Paine in Chile in 2004 and he climbed Cerro Torre in Argentina in 2005.

Kiefer was part of the first South African team to reach the summit of one of the world’s most difficult rock routes at high altitude, the Trango Tower, in the Karakoram mountain range, in 2005. (copyright thetimes.coza)

The World’s Highest Commercial Bungy Jump

Situated along the Garden Route at the Tsitsikamma Forest Village Market, just 40km east of Plettenberg Bay along the N2 Highway you will find the highest single span arch bridge in the world. You can experience the thrill for yourself in one of four ways, designed to suit anyones needs. Bloukrans Bungy is the World’s Highest Commercial Bungy Jump at a whooping 216 m high.

Bridge Walking tours
Bloukrans is the highest and largest bridge in Africa; the third highest in the world and the largest single span concrete arch bridge in the world. It is also the highest Bungee Jump bridge in the world. Come and learn about the incredible engineering feats that went into building this amazing bridge. Walk along a spectacular and specially designed catwalk to the top of the arch from where you look out over the Gorge to the mountains and the sea in the distance. Informative guides will introduce you to the enchantment of this special place. This is the perfect way to watch the live bungy show up close and personal and is an ideal alternative to jumping off!