When I told my close friends I would be going to Dubai, the first question would usually be: "Are you sure?", followed by the prejudiced statement: "but there isn't anything to climb!?"
Well, of course I did some research! And before telling my boss that I would go there (for initially half a year), I had checked out if there are at least any artificial walls where I could keep up with my favourite sports. Yes, I certainly could live without climbing, but I guess it is like losing one finger: you would survive, but you would always miss it.
One of the search results was "The Wall" where I went sporadically at the beginning of my stay, but this is just the tip of the iceberg! There is so much more out there - waiting to be discovered, conquered, loved!
I had met Dominic at The Wall. He is climbing instructor and has years of experience. Thinking of it... I got years as well! Anyway, he got more years - and some trad climbing gear. Translation for non-climbers: trad(itional) climbing is when there isn't any route bolted, and you still don't want to do a free solo (for whatever reason...). You would bring along gear called "nuts", "aliens", "friends" etc. which basically serves one purpose: one end you would (try to) attach safely to the rock using small cracks or gaps and the quickdraw on the other end would take care of the rope you are attached to. In below picture you would find mentioned gear in the front.
And then you let the fun begin!
I actually wanted to treat myself for my birthday, but unfortunately Dominic had been scheduled for that day already. Therefore August 16th had to serve instead - for my first outdoor-experience in the U.A.E. and trad climbing in general. Because here the bolted routes are rare and if there are, they are usually ridiculously short (as far as I could see from my climbing guidebook).
So we headed to Ras al Khaimah (RAK), one of the mountainous El Dorados of the U.A.E. RAK is located approximately 90 km north from Dubai, so it is a good hour drive. As mentioned earlier, it is Ramadan, and therefore not all of the gas stations offer nicely smelling, fresh coffee. Only in RAK we finally found one to meet our cravings.
Dominic guided James towards the mountains and we came to a full stop on a small parking spot beside the street - no real shade anywhere close. The thought of a heated car after our climbing adventure made me feel uneasy already, but "kalas"! And so we put on our harnesses, filled up our backpacks with water and started the approach: 100m of sweat-draining altitude made me feel that my endurance had completely vanished... What a shame!
Dominic started leading the route and soon after the chimney he disappeared behind the rock. I would only feel him being connected through the rope. It is strange - you exactly know what the other one is doing just by feeling the rope in your hands. Never leave too much slack, but don't pull down your partner either! I really like belaying. It is a way of watching the other so attentively you almost know the others' move before they actually perform it. And it makes it even more interesting when your partner is out of sight and can't hear you. Then it is down to trust.
We were so concentrated that we didn't even realize we hadn't taken any photos until Dominic came to the first belay point. Below snapshots were taken in the second pitch.
Since I had never done any trad climbing in the past, my role was limited to seconding. That can be challenging enough - especially when you fear you can't pull out the gear that was placed so neatly in a crack, that it is hard to remove. Or you feel the rope being pulled upwards. To me this is not a feeling of being safe and sound, but pure stress. I know from experience it is hard enough to pull up the weight of the rope, no need for further exercise. That's why I tend to climb as fast as I can get while still concentrating on my feet.
And at some point you are at the top and you feel as free as a bird, even though you are bathed in sweat and dust.
Contemplating the perfect scenery...
And checking out the routes for the days to come.
Oh, what a perfect day!
Pictures look awesome, Renate! But i need more details! ;) how many pitches? how difficult? how big is the region? and how big was your rack? i guess the removing of the gear wasn't a problem, since you didn't mention it anymore. i just came back from an awesome outdoor experience too, and though there was no climbing involved, i bought my very own copy of the standard mountaineering classic "freedom of the hills" :-)
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