TRAVEL
James Knox scales the heights and discovers some mysteries about sport climbing … and himself.
The journey to Rai Leh is as breezy as the warm winds coming off of the Andaman sea: fly into Krabi international; take a short minibus trip to Au Nang (a prominent beachfront resort town); hop on a long-boat to Rai Leh, then let the relaxed rhythm of life flow over you. Once the long-boat putters into the warm turquoise waters and settles into its mildly unsettling rhythm, Rai Leh’s grandiose limestone cliffs soon come into view, towering over sundrenched beaches and lush tropical jungles. The tiny town of Rai Leh is a tranquil place with enough amenities to ensure you don’t need to visit the relatively chaotic Au Nang. Rai Leh is positioned in a landlocked peninsular with thick jungle and cliffs standing between you and the mainland. But relaxing in the tepid waters and baking under the smiling sun isn’t what brought me here, it’s the soaring limestone cliffs. 44 | APRIL 2020
Reh Leh is literally a climbing paradise for novices to learn the fundamentals in a safe and controlled environment. There is a plethora of climbing schools with experienced and patient guides. Before being immersed into the world of sport climbing, 6a, 6a+, 6b, 6b+ were meaningless numbers to me, yet for two weeks in December, they became an obsession. Climbing is a sport of numbers, or more specifically ‘grades’, with different grading systems used to describe the difficulty of the climb, depending on the type of climbing and the region. Grades are assigned by the climber who sets the route, which entails bolting anchors into the wall at key locations. In Thailand, the French grading system has been adopted for sport climbing routes with beginner grades ranging between 1-4, intermediate 6-7, advanced 7-8, and 9 achievable only by the most elite climbers. MEDICAL FORUM | CARDIOVASCUL AR HEALTH ISSUE
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Aiming high in Krabi
