Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Making the most of the mountain
ends, public holidays and during the July school holidays. Do note the cableway will be closed from July 24 until August 6 for its annual maintenance.
As part of the Kidz Season experience, children will receive a treasure-hunt map, as well as a voucher for something sweet from the Shop At the Top or Table Mountain Café, where you can also feed your child a pizza slice, white chocolate slush and a dried fruit roll for R53.50, which is a Kidz Season promotion.
As Capetonians, I believe we don’t go up the mountain as often as we should. Hikers, maybe. There are dozens of them on any given day, trekking up and taking the cable car down. But it’s expensive, I hear you argue. And I agree.
However, there are plenty of special offers for locals, like a freebie on your birthday, which you can find on the website.
Pensioners and students also get sweet deals.
My most recent visit was a few weeks ago when I was invited to make the mountain my office for the day. It’s been a year since the wifi lounge was launched and there are certainly worse workplaces in the world. It was a particularly spectacular day (the one just before that massive storm) and as the cable car was ascending I drank in the view and reflected on how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city.
I got a cappuccino and grabbed myself a prime spot next to an open door overlooking the Camps Bay side and settled in for a few hours.
I’ve always thought the cable car operators have pretty cool jobs and the “driver” on the ride up was Lionel Pienaar, who mentioned the Class In The Clouds programme, which was news to me. Much focus is placed on the mountain from a tourism aspect, but this project, which began back in 2001, car- ries on quietly in the background, where pupils from primary and high schools not only experience the beauty of Table Mountain, but also learn about fauna and flora in a natural setting.
Lionel was just about to finish his shift in the cable car to conduct one of these classes. He – and other staff – also take visitors on free guided walks.
For a fee, you can even step off the side of the mountain – safely secured to a rope – with Abseil Africa. I’ve done this more than once and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Any school can join the Class In The Clouds programme, which runs from March until October 31 (excluding weekends, public holidays, during annual maintenance, and the October school holidays). Schools pay R45 per pupil until September 30, after which the price will increase. Booking for Class In The Clouds is compulsory. For more information, call Ethel James at 021 424 0015 or email cic@tablemountain.net
For more information on all related matters, go to www.tablemountain.net, call 021 424 8181 or follow on Twitter and Facebook. Twitter is a good source to find out whether the cable car is running, and what it’s like up at the top. And it’s always a good idea to take an extra layer of warm clothing for the summit.