On a perfect Autumn day, dry and cool, Candice Bagley finally

sent the epic 29 graded Snapdragon at Waterval Boven and

became Rock Chick of the month for the second time.

“I spent four days working Snapdragon this trip,” Candice tells

us, “But I had been on it previously.”  Candice was not alone

though.  “Illona: my golden, ninja belay, was there for the send,”

Candice informs us. “Jono, Roger (Natrass) and Scott (Sinclair)

were all part of the working team but had to run off to fulfill

other obligations during the week. Gustav (with Illona belaying)

shot some awesome sunrise shots too.” 

As with all climbs, there are some tough sections so obviously

we were keen to know what Candice found most challenging

about Snapdragon.

“The route is pure joy!” Candice exclaims. “There are no bad

parts to it although the heinous drop knee on the middle crux

is tough for me, but so much fun.”

And injuries? “I was injury free!” Candice admits. “This is my

first hard(ish) send after almost a year of struggling with a

finger injury so it feels amazing to climb without much pain or

fear of making it worse again.”

“I was surprised at how quickly it had come together,” Candice

explains. “I love the climbing lifestyle, the people, traveling, being

out of the buzz of the city and just moving on rock but there is

nothing quite like a send. I was elated to clip the chains.”

(www.crazyflyinggecko.wordpress.com for full blogs about the

working sessions)

“The best part of this route besides its elegant moves was being

surrounded by the most incredible people in Boven,” says Candice.

“This has definitely been on of my most memorable road trips with

sending Snapdragon being only one of the highlights. There were

days when it was just Illona and I in the campsite as well as

weekends when we queued just to go to the bathroom. It was so

great to have the support of everyone around me and different

people to mingle with each evening.”

Well done, Candice!  We look forward to seeing you as Rock Chick

of the month for a third time J

Huge thanks to Gustav Janse van Rensburg for the awesome

photographs.