Lesotho - Finding a route over Seven Summitz

[DirtRebell]

Donner dis mooi daar.
Nice RR!

 

[Michiel]

For those of you that don't know what riding in Lesotho is like, take this picture. Losper isn't just looking
at a scenic landscape, he is planning his route through it. Typically we ride right into those heaven-like scenes
because there are no fences nor laws to stop us from doing so... With respect to the land and its owners always in mind.

 

[Keith Barbier]

I can only admire you guys - excellent scenery  :thumleft:

 

[Losper]

Like Michiel said, we did a lot off water crossings that day, to be precise, 29 in total.

 

[SGB]

Time with Sir Glover is always good time....  That is the beauty of 2-strokes.  Undrowning is an easy operation.
The 7S ride will be well supported.....  Why not add an adv bike option?  Great route options in the area....

 

[Michiel]

With the rivers getting deeper and deeper we found ourselves bottlenecked and inevitably we reached
what seemed like a dead end. Mike wouldn't give up just yet so we got the tow ropes out and hauled the
bikes up. This is where my dear David sustained R3K worth of damage from a single stone that rolled
down and hit him right in the face.  :'(

 

[Michiel]

Where there is a will there is a way.



At this point Mike started to have problems with the Beta. It kept on cutting out on inclines. Not a good thing since
we were constantly either going steep up or steep down.



Cool new bridge we discovered upstream of Mohale.



Just after the bridge an even cooler climb out of the valley.

 

[Michiel]

Turns out that the Beta was just low on fuel and I ended up towing Mr. Glover the last couple of
kilometers along a contour path on the banks of Mohale Dam, David almost out of fuel too.

By the time we got to the van it has gone 4pm and I thought we would load the bikes on the
trailer and finish today's recce tomorrow but Mike had different ideas and Losper was in on the
plot. Or let me rather say in his own words. Losper: "I'm not missing out on the fun".

See, we still had about 30km of complete unknown track to check out before we reached more
familiar terrain that has been tracked before. Mike wanted to tick this off before the end of the day.

What followed was for me at least one of the most memorable afternoons in a long time. We rode
through even more amazing scenery than before all the while big thunderstorms brewing around us.
The light from a late afternoon sun breaking the rolling clouds here and there made for some of the
most spectacular moments in my life. It even rained and haled a little.







At about 5pm Losper stopped and waited for me to catch up after I took some pictures. He said: "Michiel, as ons nie vanaand
in die berge wil slaap nie moet ons nou omdraai". See, we made slow progress over technical terrain and the worst still lay
ahead. Remember, we were in complete unchartered waters. I understood Losper was right but felt we might just as well
keep on going since we still had another 2 hours of light left and there was still a small chance of making it through.

Besides, the idea of sleeping in the mountains always sounded like a romantic one.  ;D

Losper on the other hand had a very real and unpleasant memory to contend with after he nearly froze to death two years ago.

Lesotho is just relentless. Mountain upon mountain upon mountain in a never ending battle to cross the landscape.

 

[Buff]

Loving your report Michiel, bliksem maar dis Mooi daar  :thumleft: I did some riding up there on my 690 watching the Roof with GJ and Co and can't wait to go back there on an Enduro training camp later in the year with Mr G Hedgcock.

 

[onderbroek]

sub

 

[Michiel]

And then all of a sudden the sun was down. We were still in complete unknown territory and far from any roads.
Losper had been looking for huts to sleep in since 6 and was now adamant that we aim for the first signs of a roof
before it is pitch black dark. We literally had 10 or so minutes left of visibility. All the while the weather was heavy
with rain.

Mike and Scott didn't take to the idea of a sleepover so it took some persuasion to make them give in.
Bottom line for both Losper and myself was that we didn't see the point in risking injury or death by riding Lesotho's
mountains at night for no other reason than to get to comfortable lodging.

Luckily we found a nearby village and the inhabitants were kind enough to take us in, evacuate a hut for us and even
took out some brand new blankets and mattresses. The owner of the hut even lit a candle for us! As far as sleeping in
the mountains go we had 5 star accommodation. For dinner we shared what dried fruit and nuts I had left in my bag
and settled in for the night.



Losper getting ready for bed.





Mike, being the senior, got the bed.



Scott looking comfy.

 

[Michiel]

None of us slept right through. Initially I felt shy under the blankets but as the night wore on it became
quite cold and I snugged in anyway.

The next morning brought new light and the promise of more adventures. Sleeping over was the right thing
to do.

 

[DirtyTeNeReLess]

well done, this is how to do it. :ricky: :ricky: :ricky: :ricky:

 

[Mr Zog]

Ai... excellent as always Michiel  :thumleft:

 

[Liampie]

How would you guys say this compares to sea to ski in difficulty?

 

[Michiel]

How would you guys say this compares to sea to ski in difficulty?

Look, first of all it has to be said that this is a unique event on its own. Another consideration is that all of
the riding of Seven Summitz happen at much higher altitudes than Sea to Ski so one might feel short of breath
if you're not used to it.

Now the answer to your question: As far as the route difficulty and length I would say it compares well with
Sea to Ski. If you found Sea to Ski tough this one will be a challenge too. The only notable difference is that
Sea to Ski cross terrain with mountainous as well as flat sections, Lesotho has only mountains so the only
breather you can expect when you ride Seven Summitz is when you ride on some few district roads.

 

[Losper]

How would you guys say this compares to sea to ski in difficulty?

Liampie, this is perhaps slightly more technical and much more interesting than Seatoski.
One can't really compare the two, the terrein in Lesotho is way diffirent offcourse, the scenery is absolutely stunning.
Seven Summits is gonna be an awesome adventure.

 

[White Rhino]

Awesome guys. I'm curious to know how you construct a route for the event, when you end up overnighting deep in the lullies - do you scrap that idea and try another one?

 

[Losper]

Awesome guys. I'm curious to know how you construct a route for the event, when you end up overnighting deep in the lullies - do you scrap that idea and try another one?

Hi White Rhino,  we are a team of 4 guys, each spends hours on Google earth to plot the routes. Then after a weeks planning we email each other the 4x possibilities. After another few days of many emails, correspondence and planning we come up with a route that was put together between the 4x possibilities. Only then do we go out and actually ride the route just to discover that it still needs lots of alteration. When we get back home we download the track that was actually ridden and re-alter it again.

Seven Summitz is a 3-day adventure. It took us 2 days of hard riding and a sleep-over in the mountains to finalize just 1,5 days of routes. We will go back within the next week to do the other 1,5 days, that will probably take another 2 or 3 days of riding.
The back-up vehicle's routes and refuel points needs to be planned as well, we do that at the same time.

Apart from all the above there are still many other things to plan, the medic's, the accommodation for 80+ people, food, fresh water, special vehicle to take fuel cans to difficult to reach refuel points, escape routes, etc, etc.
The routes are also planned in such a way that there are "spectator value", that means that we try to make the routes as interesting as possible in the areas close to the refuel points so that the spectators can actually see what the riders are up to.

 

[Michiel]

Well said Losper.

Scouting a route takes much longer than riding the finished product after alterations as Losper explained. The
days will still be long so the routes will go on district roads here and there to make up the distance. Give the
riders some time to recover as well before they hit the next technical section.

The final routes will be altered and fine tuned so it will be possible for an average rider to ride them in time
to be at the next sleepover in daylight. If for some reason you are running late there will be a cut-off and
alternative route (roads) to take you to the lodge safe so you can ride again the next day.