Greetings hivers. I have been off the keyboard for last couple of weeks. Just swamped in work and have not found time to do much else except the odd few rides around my hood. This weekend just gone though I went on a pretty cool adventure and revisited a sport that ruled my life for several years and one I have been away from for more than a decade.
Rock Climbing - and to be completely accurate - Sport Climbing - whereas the routes are already bolted and anchored. Anyone who has ever climbed will no doubt have heard of Krabi in South Thailand. It's one of the world's climbing meccas. I lived in Krabi for several years - it's just 200km from Phuket yet I rarely visit there anymore. This weekend I took my best friend and biking wingman over there to introduce him to climbing. Here is a view of what to expect when climbing Krabi....
Climbing is a fantastic sport. It has something to appeal to every one. If gear is your thing then the amount of gear and equipment that goes with climbing is mind boggling - from ropes and shoes to belay devices and carabiners to cam devices and helmets and on and on and on. If strength training is your thing then you will bulk up fast if you get into climbing - the most ripped dudes I ever met were climbers. If it's the feeling of pushing your limits and setting challenges to overcome then climbing is again awesome as all climbs are graded so that you can slowly increase your level and the feeling of finally nailing a difficult climb that has defeated you over and over is just fantastic. If it's a social thing - all climbers always have time time for other climbers and the social scene around it is just super chilled and friendly. Its for kids, men and women, old and young. It's safe yet thrilling and adrenaline pumping, easy to learn yet near impossible to master.
I had not climbed for over a decade but was amazed that I was able to flash up a 6b with very little effort - while my buddy who btw is 10 years younger than me and certainly stronger struggled to get halfway up the climb....:) I took him to my old favourite climb on an area known as Thaiwand wall. The great thing about this climb is it starts already a solid 150m up the cliff on one of the greatest settings in Railey Beach. You step out on to the first bolt from the belay point and it's as though you have already climbed halfway up the face of the mountain....
We took a Thai guide with us as I hadn't climbed for so long and wanted someone else to lead the climbs and set the anchor. Also it gave me time to enjoy the day and also spend time talking and teaching my buddy a little about the equipment and some basic climbing techniques. We had a nice long hike around to the starting point along beautiful Phra Nang Beach, then climbed up through the Princess Cave to "the window"
From here we abseiled down to the start of the climbing route I wanted my pal to experience. After a couple hours there we hiked down to the beach and enjoyed cold beers on a beach mat with some other old friends.
Combining a challenging sport with great friends and an adventure is always the best - thats why I love mountain biking, surfing and sailing. I'd kinda forgotten how much fun rock climbing is and I know my friend had an awesome time (even though he sucked at it!) I reckon you might be seeing some climbing posts from me in the future....
Im Jobiker and I think climbing is awesome! Peace!