tiffindell

Entries as at 21st March, 2024.

01.10.2020 IMPORTANT NOTICE - DUE TO THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF THE COVID 19 ON THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, TIFFINDELL IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. ACCESS TO THE BEN MACDHUI PASS IS THEREFORE NOT POSSIBLE. AS SOON AS WE KNOW OF DEVELOPEMENTS REGARDING THE REOPENING OF THE SKI RESORT, WE WILL POST HERE.

Please under no circumstances should anyone trespass the Tiffindell property or tamper with the gate boom locks. Respect the landowners decisions. We will be following developments closely and make all attempts to get access to the Ben MacDhui Pass as soon as is practical. The owners have made it clear that any attempts at trespassing will result in prosecution. Cameras have been set up to catch trespassers. You have been warned. Your cooperation is important to the future access to this amazing and challenging pass.

2024 Version of the Ben 10 has seen some changes to improve the event. We have removed the TTT (as it has become too dangerous), Bottelnek Pass and the Barkly Pass.

01. Jouberts Pass
02. Heuningneskloof Pass
03. Otto du Plessis Pass
04. Bastervoetpad Pass
05. Lundean's Nek Pass
06. Dangershoek Pass
07. Volunteershoek Pass
08. Carlisleshoekspruit Pass
09. Naudes Nek Pass
10. Pot River Pass

 

THE LINK FOR THE ENTRY FORM IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. PLEASE READ ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE COMPLETING THE ENTRY FORM.

 

01. The challenge is open and free to 4x4 vehicles, adventure motorcycles, MTB riders, walkers and trail runners. (Note that it is not possible to complete some of the passes in a normal car). MTB cyclists, walkers and runners are permitted to move between passes per vehicle. It is a requirement to be a paid up subscriber to MPSAat the time of registration. This is to ensure that every entrant has full access to all the safety and technical information available on the website. The nominated 10 passes must be driven, ridden, run or walked within a time frame of 7 days.

Aim of The Ben 10 Eco Challenge

With the permanent closure of the Ben MacDhui Pass (the anchor pass in the challenge) and a steady decline in entries since Covid, we have made the decition to close the challenge. The event has run it's course and served it's purpose well, which was to boost tourism in the EC Highlands.

Anyone may of course continue to drive, ride or walk the Ben 10, but we no longer require the indemnity or entry form. Noresults will be posted either. To all those that took up the challenge, well done.

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To drive ten specific high altitude gravel passes within a time frame of seven days, whilst enjoying the beautiful Eastern Cape highlands scenery. In the process you will be supporting eco-tourism in this remote part of the Eastern Cape, thereby uplifting the local population.

 

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01. Heuningneskloof Pass (1833m)
02. Carlisleshoekspruit Pass (2563m)
03. Volunteershoek Pass (2581m]
04. Naudes Nek Pass (2590m]
05. Lundean’s Nek Pass (2170m)
06. Joubert’s Pass (2234m)
07. Bastervoetpad Pass (2240m]
08. Otto du Plessis Pass (2115m)
09. Potrivier Pass (1783m)
10. Dangershoek Pass (1890m)

How it Works

Drive, ride, cycle, run or walk all 10 passes within 7 days, taking time to discover the natural wonders of the Eastern Cape Highlands and enjoy the local hospitality. This is not a race, but rather an opportunity to embrace eco-tourism in its finest form. The best places to secure accommodation are around Elliot (Mountain Shadows Hotel) and Rhodes.

In Rhodes village there is the Rhodes Hotel and Walkerbouts Inn. For smaller groups and individuals there are numerous farm stays and B&B's.If you're looking for simething upmarket, try the Tenahead Lodge. Contact Rhodes Tourism.

 

Ben 10 Eco Challenge Entry & Indemnity Form

 

Here is a video made by Behan Boshoff (In Search Of Stories), which illustrates just how tough the challenge really is (especially as the entire challenge was completed in a day):

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Hall of Fame Results

Ben 10 Eco Challenge Hall of Fame

Entries

Ben 10 Eco Challenge Latest Entries

This is a complex contour road offering four small passes along its 27 km length. The road generally remains at the 2600m contour level and the vast majority of the route comprises contour road driving as it follows the shapes of the hills and buttresses. The route is doable in a high clearance 4x2 with diff-lock, but when things get muddy or snowy, it is definitely a 4x4 route. Although the road gets quite rough in places, these don't last long and most of this route is Grade 1 to 2. The road connects the Tiffindell Ski Resort in the west with the Tenahead Mountain Lodge in the east, and provides a shorter, but slower alternative to the Naudes Nek Pass. Beyond Tenahead Lodge, the road connects at the Naudes Nek lookout point at 2500m ASL.

Although we have named this route the TTT  (Tiffindell-Tenahead Traverse) which aptly describes the purpose of the road, this is a more modern take on its routing. It's also referred to by the locals by three other names: The Cairntoul Road (named after a farm on the eastern side of the traverse); Die Patrollie Pad (The Patrol Road) and Die Grenspad (the Border Road). The road has been used for many years to patrol stock theft into Lesotho. There are several small patrol huts, linked with radio sets, which can be seen along the route. These are occupied by 'young local herdsmen' who keep an eye on the hillsides and relay any suspicious activity to the main SAPS base at Cairntoul, from where the heavyweights are dispatched on horseback or by 4x4.