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Location: Fernwood Buttress, Newlands Forest
Overview: An old route that is very seldom done. It has a difficult start and a long bushy finish, following a classic diagonal line up the side of Fernwood Buttress. The name was given by Travers-Jackson after his ascent in 1904, but the origin is obscure, and his account merely refers to the crack being dark. It may relate to the German word "finster," which means "dark/gloomy". It's been misspelled over the years, with different maps indicating it as Finisteraar or Finesteraar.
At least one mountaineer who leads hikes and who has done this route twice considers it dangerous and not fit or worthy to be mentioned on Mountain Meanders. The rock quality is terrible, and the ropes along the tricky sections are old. It cannot be trusted to support a person’s weight and gives people a false sense of security.
A major fire on Table Mountain reached the upper section of the route during the first half of 2024. A small group of highly experienced hikers completed the route in May 2025 and found that the various sections of rope have not been affected by the fire. However, the condition of the ropes is still questionable. This is not an easy or safe route!
Route Description:
The ascent starts off the scree below Fernwood Buttress at the high point of the Newlands-to-Kirstenbosch Contour Path, after completing what is often called the "300 Steps".
Continue up the scree and into the trees until you are stopped by a mossy, lichen-covered band of rock across a small watercourse. This is a short but awkward section of climbing that requires great care and good balance to step into the gully proper (the name "Crack" is misleading, as it is actually a gully or chimney). Once you scramble up this section, you are "committed" to completing the route, as downclimbing would be extremely difficult.
Now the crack is followed, and in recent years, various sections of long, thick rope have been anchored to assist on this steep section. It is unknown who placed them there or how long ago, so use them with great caution-if at all. In some places, the rope has become quite worn or is attached to a questionable anchor, such as a rotten tree stump.
At the top of the crack, you exit onto a bushy slope, which may have a faint track if someone has done the climb recently. Eventually you will intersect Smuts Track.
Scree below Fernwood
Start of the gully section
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