Railay Gecko Style!

Railay... what a magical place. This was the Thailand I had imaged in my head: beautiful beaches, long tail boats, and limestone cliffs jutting out of the sea. The long tail boat travel was again a little hairy but we kept good faith in our boat man. It was a good job we both loved the place on arrival as we were to be spending the next 4 days here.

The reason for our travel to Railay was primarily so I could take full advantage of the surrounding cliffs... so immediately I signed up for a 3 day intensive rock climbing course with one of

the many climbing schools. The course was designed to teach me the basics of climbing: rope knots, belaying, top roping, lead climbing and self rappelling. I met Jay my instructor and I knew I was in for a hard 3 days. Nic wasn't up for climbing as she had other plans for her big adventure although as you can see in the photo she could have tackled the rocks with ease!

Having secured my place on the course I left Nic with the bags and went searching for accommodation. I negotiated us another bargain! £6 for our bungalow equipped with fridge, TV and hot water. The resort also had a pool overlooking Diamond Cave (one of the climbing walls I learnt on) and was great for cooling off after a hard days climb.

The vibe on Railay East where we stayed was very relaxed and laid back. In the evenings we spent our time exploring. There were a few different beaches around Railay all

within walking distance of each other. We enjoyed eating dinner by the sea watching the tide come in. We also found a bamboo cafe which served great hot chocolate and I quickly became a big fan (although I think the taste was greatly enhanced by the awesome views).

The first day of climbing involved learning the skills of basic knots, belaying and top roping. Before we set off I was given a harness and a pair of climbing shoes to try on. Basic rule number 1 of climbing: if your shoes are not crippling your feet then they are too big. They should be so tight that they are forcing your toes to curl. This will ensure your grip when climbing on the rock face (as your toes are the main part of your foot that you use for climbing), as I was soon to find out.

It was vital I got to grips with the basic knots as these would be responsible for keeping me safe, especially on my descent. A good dose of repetition helped nail it home. Belaying involves keeping your partner safe while they are climbing on the rock face. It is a process of securing the climber by using a rope and belaying device to hold the climber's weight should they fall. Top Roping involves climbing up a rock face attached by a rope that has already been taken up the rock face by another climber I.e Jay my instructor. The rope will have been run through a fixed anchor at the summit of the climb. Once Jay was back on the ground I could then be attached to the rope so that I could climb safely. The photo below shows my view looking down.

For the first 2 days I climbed on the popular beginner walls of Diamond Cave and the 1,2,3 Wall. Pretty much as soon as we preparing to start we heard rustling from above followed by a great thud. A monkey had fallen over 30m and appeared to be dead. After a few minutes of discussing what to do the money came round and shot off into the trees. I have no idea how he survived (The photo isn't of the exact monkey but he was similar to this little guy we saw later on). The Local guides said that in all their time in Railay they have never seen a monkey fall. Maybe this was a bad sign?!

The hardest part I found was during the rappel: trusting a complete stranger with my life! It was crucial they had the rope taught and therefore I would be safe. I was surprised to learn that the majority of your strength should come from your legs and not your arms (whenever possible). Using your arms just tires you out very quickly. When resting on the rock face it is important to have your arms and legs spread far apart, otherwise again you will lose energy rapidly. The photo on the left shows me pleased with my effort after reaching the top.

Lead climbing involves the leader climbing up the rock face with a rope attached to their harness clipping it into to carabiners as they climb. When I was lead climbing Jay my be-layer fed me enough rope that allowed me to climb, making sure he didn't feed me too much slack. As I progressed up the

rock face I clipped one of my many quick-draw clips that were on my harness on to the titanium bolts in the rock face which were every 5 metres or so. I then fed the rope through the other section of my quick-draw clip. This then limited the length of my potential fall. It was a great feeling performing a lead climb and it gave me a good sense of achievement watching other people then climb on the rope I had taken up.

On my final day we went to a climbing site on Hat Phra Nang beach and the photo above shows the views from one of my climbs. This was a beautiful secluded area where I was treated to some spectacular views at the summit. Jay had taken me there to teach me the skills of self rappelling (which I am doing in the left photo). Rappelling or abseiling is the means by which you lower yourself off the rock face. Self rappelling is required when there is no metal anchor at the top of the climb to feed the rope through. Instead there may be some rope, in which case you have to use one of your quick-draw clips as an anchor.

It can also be used if you were lead climbing and you couldn't make it to the top (eg if the climb was too difficult to complete). In both cases self rappelling is used so that no quick-draw clips are left up on the rock face. It also means that you can rappel down without needing someone on the ground to perform the rope work. In order to self rappel I had to first secure myself at the summit with my safety clip. I then had to undo the rope from my harness and feed it through the belay device. I could then slide down the rope using the belay device to control my speed of descent.

Jay was happy with my practise runs so we moved on to one of the larger rappels in the area... which happened to also be out of a cave (above photo)! The only way down from the cave was by rappel so Nic was also going to have a taster (with Jay performing the rope work). The view from the cave was awesome! I went first and it was a great feeling knowing I was in full control of my descent as opposed to the previous day when Jay had been in control. Below is a photo of the cave and if you look carefully (in the second photo down) you can just see the back of Nic as she prepares for her descent.

At the start of my course I was climbing grade 5 climbs (based on the French system). By the end I was climbing grade 6A+ which I found very challenging (although probably relatively easy for an experienced climber). The start of these climbs usually involved a overhang that required you to just use your arms until you were high enough to position your feet. No-one else in the group was able to tackle the start of the climb which you can see in the photo below and I did feel a great sense of achievement tackling it on my first attempt ;-)

Further up though was a different story. The rock face became incredibly flat (to me anyhow, especially in comparison to those I had previously been climbing) as you can see in the photo left. My toes were perched on what felt like little nuggets of rock and I found it very hard to secure a good hand hold. The route I had to take all seemed very obvious to Jay down below as he was shouting up his words of encouragement.

My footing was all wrong and my arms were supporting my weight. I was tiring very quickly and I couldn't gather the energy I needed to make the last part. I was hanging on with every ounce of energy I had left and it wasn't long before I fell. You can see the frustration and disappointment on my face in the photo. I had a little rest before having another go but the same thing happened. Well... I don't give up and I wasn't going to be beaten and I am very happy to say that I conquered it on my third attempt :-) Below are some of the best photos...

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of my rock climbing course and would recommend it to everyone who likes to physically push themselves. It was such a great feeling being responsible for the lead climbs and also for rappelling myself back down. The views from the top were an added bonus and were an excellent way to appreciate the hard effort made to reach the summit. Being that high up a rock face and knowing it was only me that could get myself to the top was a challenge that seriously gave me a buzz. It is definitely an activity that I could really get into and I would like to pursue further once back in England.

written by

SupandNic on September 2, 2010 from Krabi, Thailand

from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

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Oh my god, now I feel sick. Those heights!! You're mad! Fab photos though, and what an experience! I was dragged by a friend to a climbing school in Wales years back and did a few climbs with her, but outdoors is completely different, and I was wailing like a baby when it came to having to rappel back down. Eugh. Hope your toes aren't permanently crippled! :-)

written by Anna Chamberlain on September 2, 2010

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