ROCK climbing is easier and safer than it looks. It is all fun and rewarding.
This comforting notion of the sport was passed on to the writer, who spent one Saturday afternoon with a group of rock-climbers called the Green Trekkerz at Damai Wall, Batu Caves, Selangor.
Most members of this group are still in awe over this challenging experience. They not only raved over this unconventional sport but want others to try it too.
A senior marketing manager of a prominent fitness firm, Beatrice Lee, got hooked after her first attempt in May. “It is a lot easier than I thought,” she quipped.
She is amazed at the way rock climbers optimise the strength of their limbs to carry their body weight. “I'm sure many people will like it after they have tried rock climbing,” she said.
Green Trekkerz member public relations and marketing manager Chuah Cheng Lyn starting her climb at the Damai Wall in Batu Caves Kuala Lumpur.
This sport has also helped change her attitude towards handling difficult situations in the course of her work. Lee said a good climber knew how to react and manage a fall. They also are prepared to overcome a crux - the most difficult part of the climb.
“It has taught me to be brave and not to be afraid of failure. Remaining calm is important and I just keep trying harder each time,” she said.
Climbers are often guided by a “belayer” who is stationed on the ground. He will guide the climbers along in their ascent so as to prevent any mishaps.
“Now, I believe that problems can be solved one way or another. If you can't do it on your own, you can seek help from others,” she said.
Lee has recently convinced her husband to take up the sport.
Expatriate Hakan Nylander said he started climbing two months ago, just two weeks after arriving in Malaysia.
“Malaysia has excellent walls to climb. It is quite scary up there. You must forget about work and other things in life - it has to be only you and the wall,” he said.
The Swede, who is a project manager, also finds it a good way to achieve flexibility and of course, to de-stress.
Rock-climbing has also made him a calmer person , he said, adding that weaving through the Malaysian traffic was one of the daily stresses he had to face.
Kenny Low, the group's guru with seven years of experience in climbing, prefers rock-climbing to jungle and mountain hiking.
“You can do rock-climbing from morning to afternoon. Sometimes, I go for a brief bouldering (bouldering is scaling a big and normally man-made boulder without the use of equipment) session at the gym to de-stress after work,” he said.
Low, a project engineer, said his job required him to oversee projects involving incinerators and furnaces.
”I was hired because my boss believed rock climbers had the never-say-die spirit. And I do have to climb up furnaces sometimes,” he quipped.
For someone who has scaled many walls, including those in Krabi, Thailand, he believes rock-climbers get to see the best of aerial views.
Low is also not particular about his food intake knowing that his body will burn it in just one climb. The sport, he said, is suitable for most people. “You need not be fit to start climbing. But it will definitely make you fit”.
Low, an instructor, said the sport was safe if the rules were religiously followed.
The equipment, like the rope or the harness, is designed to hold more than two tonnes, which is equivalent to the weight of a car.
“All you need is to heed certain rules of thumb and respect the sport,” he said.
The Green Trekkers, according to its leader, Low Choong Meng, who is an insurance sales manager, started as a three-member jungle trekking group that advocates environmental conservation.
Members follow the group's activities via their website http;//greentrekkerz.wordpress.com
Public relations and marketing manager Chuah Cheng Lyn, who took up the sport four months ago, still cannot believe what she is capable of until now. “More so, when I'm not the outdoor type of person,” she admitted.
The gym-goer said it all began when she followed a three-day speed-climbing event organised by her employer. She soon developed an admiration for the climbers - their graceful movements as well as their physical and mental strength.
She recalled: “I gave myself a try on the third day and found that it was not as tough as I thought. It is fun and relaxing.”
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