My first climbing experience.
I was quite surprised when a friend told me that they are planning to go climbing on the weekend. I was curious and asked them if they were going to the pharos club at waif mall (I knew that there was a climbing wall there). But I was told, that they are going to go somewhere in Oman, close to the border of Al Ain. I was even more surprised when they asked me if I wanted to join them.
“I never climbed before!”
“Don’t worry; we have all the equipment and even a harness what will fit.”
“But I’m not strong enough to climb!”
“You don’t need to be strong there are easy routes that everybody can try. You will like it, it’s a great experience.”
“I don’t know!”
So I was thinking… should I stay or should I go. Suddenly a friend asked me if I’m going with the guys. To keep it short, we decided to go.
The next day we met in the morning and drove to Al Ain where we crossed the border (be aware that the border post of Oman is far back in the country (50km) and you need the stamp from them to return… we had a problem that we had to return to Dubai to get the stamp in the evening! Maybe it has changed by now?)
The guys found the spot in the middle of the desert and mountains, these rocks were looking like every other rock. They told us that here there are already routes with bolts to put the ropes. We parked the car and went up to the wall. The good thing was that the wall was shaded to the rocky side where we wanted to climb. To be honest, the guys carried a lot of gear up to the rocks – a long rope, harness, helmets, karabiner, first aid kit and of course water, food and a lot more.
We checked the routes and selected an easy one – which was supposed to be easy! We got a very good introduction of that we have to take care, otherwise what’s the use of the equipment, we learnt how to make the right knots. The guys climbed first and it looked very easy. Now it was my turn! They fixed the harness to me and then I fixed the knot to the rope then to the harness. I was observing my teachers and the checked the knot and harnessed afterwards. The rope was already fixed to the highest point of the route. So they told me to climb up a little bit and then sit in the harness. This was a good idea to do this before reaching higher levels. I gained trust in my colleagues, the equipment and the whole thing.
I started to climb without thinking to much. I concentrated on the rock and to keep ascending up the wall. I always got advice from the ground: “Bring your ass to the wall!” I didn’t like this advice at first, it sounded a bit rude for me, but it was a huge difference keeping the weight close to the rocks. I had some trouble with this but solved everything and reached the top. I was really satisfied and happy to succeed!
So far so good! But now I need to go down, that’s supposed to be the easiest part. After concentrating on the way up I did not look down and did not think of the height. I was now about 10-15m ahead of my friends! For the first time I started to feel fear and felt my knees getting soft. I now brought my weight very close to the rock and held tight. I could barely hear the advice. “Lean back in the rope!”
I think they could notice that I was afraid! “Remember our training, don’t worry the rope will hold. Don’t look down. Make a V with our feed and lean slowly back – I got you!” It took me some time… I couldn’t reply! I was really afraid. I had to do the exact same thing we had done before. But I was so high! “It’s all in your head, trust me! Take your time!” I released my hand from the rock and held the rope as tight as I could! “Don’t touch the rope, balance your weight with your arms and walk slowly down the wall.” I remembered them telling me this before – but I couldn’t. I had to hold the rope with one hand even if it was wrong. So I started to walk down the wall. Slowly, very slowly… it took me minutes to reach the round. The guys did the same thing in seconds with a few elegant jumps. I was almost down, when the rope stopped so did I. I was about to touch the ground with my feet! “Now release the rope and lean back!” I did as I was told and it made no difference at all and it felt much better than trying desperately to hold the rope. Anyways I thought I would never be able to hold my weight like this… but it was true, it’s all in your head. “You see you can trust the rope!”
This was such a moving experience! I was about to cry. But not because I was angry that I did this or that I was afraid. I was so happy, to succeed. I felt at one point, that there is no way out and wanted to give up – but I didn’t. Now I understand the addiction of climbers much better than before and the force behind them.
It was also a great proof of friendship and trust to notice with your friends. I can really recommend that everybody tries it. But you should have well trained and passionate teachers like I did.
From time to time I am still going climbing with my friends and I enjoy it a lot. For me it’s still a hobby and luckily no addiction yet. For me climbing is about trust, trust in the equipment, trust in your friends and last but not least trust in yourself, your body, your mind and what you are able to do.