Pro-Sports

The most updated information on the routes at Nyamuk can be located at Rock Climbing - Nyamuk. However, I do have some older stuff that I picked up along the way which no longer seems to have a home on the web so I’m giving it this little space. If you find it useful, I’m glad. Some of the following used to be available on Rock Climbing, but for some reason, somebody saw fit to delete it…

There have been more new developments to Nyamuk since I saved the following information, so the link above will be required to supplement this information.

A picture speaks a thousand words, so here’s my map on how to get there:

Alternatively, there are some written directions on how to find Nyamuk wall at:

The Rock Pod - Nyamuk (route information on this site is obsolete, though)

Rock Climbing - Nyamuk

The book “Climb Malaysia” also has a good section of Nyamuk, although the route information will be a little out of date by now…

There are now quite a number of sections in Nyamuk, so I find the following diagram helpful for identifying where each section is located.

The followign are the old route descriptions from Rock Climbing - Nyamuk. I saved these quite some time back, so I’m pretty certain there ought to be some new routes added to this list since then.

ANOPHELES

17 m high freestanding boulder at the left side of the crag. Nice for instructing purposes. Range of difficulty 5.8 - 5.10d.

1. Merdekar-Crash 5.10a, 6 bolts, 17m, start at the big stalactite that marks the centre of the overhanging side of Anopheles. Nice and pumpy. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Oct 7 2003)

2. Project 6 bolts, right of Merdekar-Crash. (Dec 8 2003)

3. Lariam 5.9, 6 bolts, 17 m, left of “Adreanachrome”, nice left traverse and superb holds to the top. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

4. Adrenachrome 5.9, natural pro, 17m, nice left leaning crack that leads through the slab of Anopheles. The crack offers all kind of sizes. Ideal to learn how to use natural protection. (Nov 23 2003)

5. Fansidar 5.8, 5 bolts, 15 m, on the slab right of “Adrenachrome”, good beginner route. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6. Ticks and Tape 5.9, 4 bolts, 14m, right of Fansidar, starts right of the block, just a bit lower than the neighbouring routes. Crux is obviously the start, if you help yourself with the tree, the route is much easier. (Nov 23 2003)

SHIELDTOX
Most of the single pitch routes are 30 m long and offer vertical to slightly overhanging climbing. Range of difficulty: 5.9 - 5.12c.

1. Orange Juice 5.7, 4 bolts, 14 m, a good beginner route that follows the walkable ramp at the left hand side of Shieldtox. A step up on a stalactite leads to a huge ledge and the anchor. FA: P. Andrey (Sep 23 2003)

2. Oxymoron 5.11b, 10 bolts, 29 m, great route with technical crux after juggy traverse. This route is a prolongation of Two Pints, actually the most left route at Shieldtox and Nyamuk. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3. Le Futur 5.11a, 10 bolts, 30m, leading though the reddish rock at the very left of Shieldtox. Definitely one of the best 6c’s in the country! Maybe a bit tricky at the start, but then good holds all the way with an exceptional finish on first class rock. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

4. Station to Station 5.10c, bolted, This is a funny traverse starting with “Two Pints” and traversing all the way to the top of “Voltaren”. The second pitch follows the huge ledge to the right and then again traversing all the way to a belay on top of “Osmosis”. From here it is planned to traverse another 3 pitches, but this has not been climbed yet. FA: : P. Andrey, J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

5. Two Pints 5.8, 4 bolts, Direct start to “Orange Juice”. This start is also used for “Le Futur …”. Two Pints was the incentive Shannon would have received if he would have on sighted “Diaper Jaya”. Unfortunately he did not, so he only got a glass of Orange Juice. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6. Stigmata 5.12c, 11 bolts, 30 m, very small crimps and balancy at crux, pumpy ending. FA: Kevin Tan (Dec 28 2003)

7. Love at first bite 5.12c, 11 bolts, 32 m, excellent route with a dead point boulder move that marks the crux half way up the route. After the crux very nice and sustained climbing. One of the best routes in Nyamuk. FA: Philip Lim (Dec 7 2003)

8. Chess 5.11d, 10 bolts, 30 m of exposed climbing left of “Diaper Jaya”. The route is marked by the prominent roof that awaits the challenger after 20 m of nice, but dicey climbing. This roof leads to a perfect hand crack. Where the crack ends the crux starts (just before the anchor)The route was named after “Chess”, our cute and stubborn black and white rabbit who jumped off the balcony and said good by to this world while I was climbing the route. FA. P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

9. Don’t Underbreak Me 5.9, 10 bolts, 2 threads, 31 m, follows Diaper Jaya for 6 bolts, then heads left up thru the reddish crumbly looking rock onto the ledge and spacey to the anchor. Fa: P. Andrey (Dec 28 2003)

10. Lau Beh 5.11c, 12 bolts, 31 m, extension of Diaper Jaya. instead of heading right to the anchor you tackle the overhang on top of the route. Fa P. Andrey (Jan 17 2004

11. Diaper Jaya 5.10b, 9 bolts, 29 m, nice line following the black dihedral left of “Bowel Movement” (sharing the same anchor)FA: P. Andrey, J. Peet (Dec 28 2003)

12. Bowel Movement 5.10a, 8 bolts, 28 m, beautiful 6a route left of “Pear”, leading through reddish rock on constantly good holds. First of a series of easy routes that were bolted with the aim to offer a new climbing area to the KL climbing community. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Dec 28 2003)

13. Pear 5.12a, 8 bolts, 27 m, straight forward on crimps leading through the black rock right of “Bowel Movement”. FA: Aswadi Noor (Nov 23 2003)

14. In Guns we trust 5.9, 10 bolts, 30 m, nice route that leads into the prominent flake in the centre of Shieldtox. Crux at the end when you are forced to leave the cosy environment of the inside of the flake. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

15. Bangsar Babes Backdrop 5.10b, 10 bolts, 30 m, this exceptional route runs along the left side of the prominent root that leaads to the big ledge above the right part of Shieldtox. Technical slab-climbing for most of the route, however the finish is overhanging on big squared holds. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

16. Voltaren 5.10a, 10 bolts, 28 m, right exit variation of “Bangsar Babes” leading on top of the big ledge. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

17. Kamchatka 5.10b, 8 bolts, 25 m, start left of “Shiok Sendiri”, similar outfit, but a little bit easier than Shiok. The rapell anchor was placed low in order to keep the difficulties moderate. FA: Fa, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

18. Shiok Sendiri 5.10b, 8 bolts, 27 m, superb route starting next to the big tree located in front of the central slab of Shieldtox. Steep start, followed by a slab that leads to a vertical section and overhanging finish. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

19. Hot Tempered Freaking Glue Gun 5.10d, 10 bolts, 30m, shares start with Shiok Sendiri, then heads right up the slab to a bulge where the crux is waiting. Then follows a jugfest that makes you smile. FA: Akmal Noor and Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

20. Prophylaxis 5.12c, 11 bolts, 32 m, right of ” Hot Tempered Freaking Glue Gun”, after technical start easy cruising to a powerful move that tests your flexibility. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

DENGUE
This is the playground for hard movers: Long and technical challenging routes on slightly overhanging bombastic rock. Range of difficulty: 5.12a - 5.13c.

1. Foreign Investment 5.12a, 12 bolts, 32 meters, first third of easy cruising leading to a technical crux followed by good holds that test your stamina.FA: P. Andrey (Sep 18 2003)

2. Osmosis 5.12d, 14 bolts, 37 metres long by about 6 metres overhanging. nice stamina climb with technical crux. Pumpy stalactite marks the first third of the route, then crimps that lead to another stalactite. Pumpy again at the end. FA:Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3. Project (Dec 1 2003)

4. The Pledge 5.13b, 8 bolts, 25 m, slightly overhanging technical climb an crimps. most beautiful climb in Malaysia. FA: Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

5. IMM (Integrated Mosquito Management) 5.13c, 15 bolts, Extension of “The Pledge”. Another 17 meters of steep and pumpy climbing, partly on stalactites.FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

FUMAKILLA
With nearly 100 m highest sector of Nyamuk, though most of the routes are single pitch. Range of difficulty: 5.8 - 5.12b.

1. Moral Moron 5.12b, 6 bolts, Nice line left of “Monkeyland”, onto the ledge where the difficulties begin: powerful moves at bolt 2 and 3, then up the stalactite to a smooth section that needs commitment. The rest is good holds on stalactites. FA: Adi Noor (Nov 23 2003)

2. Monkey Land 5.12a, 6 bolts, 17 m, crux that requires finger power and commitment. FA: Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3. Two Drops 5.10c, 5 bolts, 16 m, route right of “Monkey Land”. Mantle on a ledge, a stalactite/dihedral to go for and a nice crack at its end. Scary enough to let go two drops on the way up. FA: Jeremy Peet (Nov 23 2003)

4. My Favourite Things 5.10d, 5 bolts, 16 m, right of “Two Drops”, nice challenging halfway up the route. FA: Yves Gosselin, Andy Rylance (Nov 23 2003)

5. Alam Flora 5.10c, 3 bolts, 12 m, nice little route right of “My Favourite Things”, one tricky move, plenty of jugs at the end. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

6. Jalan Sehala 5.9, 4 bolts, 12 m, left of the big vine tree leading up on big steps through the embracing branches. FA.P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

7. Ilias 5.10c, 4 bolts, 12 m, start shared with “Training Day”, going left into the obvious crack. Funky layback move or technical, but much easier solution. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

8. Ulysse 5.10b, 4 bolts, 13 m, named after Marco’s newborn son. This route shares the start with “Training Day”, but heads straight up. Technical climb on sharp holds. FA: Marco Beurret, Patrick Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

9. Training Day 5.10d, bolted, 4 pitch route that leads thru the highest part of Nyamuk and skirts the prominent triangular roof that leaps over Fumakilla sector. Start at the stalactite next to the impressive vine-tree that marks the centre of Fumakilla. Total route length about 100m, pitches: 5c, 5b+, 6b, 5c. The crux pitch is a stunning dihedral of 30m length that asks for sophisticated stemming. FA: by Patrick Andrey and Jeremy Peet (Nov 23 2003)

10. First May Variant 5.7, bolted, 1 sling, Follows the second pitch of “Training Day”, then heads up and to the right to the anchor of “Labour Day”. This route was climbed and crawled through on Natural Pro by Patrick and Yen while the wall was still covered with thick vines. It was used as a access route in order to bolt the routes at Fumakilla. (Nov 23 2003)

11. Labour Day 5.10b, 4 bolts, 15 m, this route starts on the ledge above the first pitch of training day. a bit hidden, this line is not climbed often, since not many people have had knowledge about its existence. Go for it, its a nice, however a bit committing climb. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

12. Training Rules 5.10a, 6 bolts, Combination of Training day and Rules of Attraction. Use the big ledge to cross over and enjoy the big jugs of RoA. FA: David Roderick (Nov 23 2003)

13. The Rules of Attraction 5.11a, 6 bolts, Route right of Training Day. Start at huge, but sharp holds, followed by the crux on crimps. The second part leads through reddish rock with excellent jugs. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

14. Stupid With Manners 5.11c, 6 bolts, Boulder start that requires weird balancing moves (Jan 18 2004

15. David et la Marseilleaise 5.11a, 5 bolts, Route right of “Stupid with manners”. 16 m, powerful start on sharp stalactite. the rest is easy. FA: Marco Beurret (Nov 23 2003)

16. Dirk Diggler 5.9, 9 bolts, 27 m, left of “Fire Starter”, shares the same start, then heads left to a bulge. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

17. Fire Starter 5.8, 8 bolts, 1 sling, 28 m, follows the crack/dihedral that divides Fumakilla. Layback at the 2nd bolt, easy for crack climbers, unusual for limestone FA: P. Andrey,J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

18. Up in Smoke 5.9, 7 bolts, 2 slings, 26m, starts with “Fire Starter”, heads left above the big block and up the stalactites. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

19. Because I Got High 5.10d, 5 bolts, Route to the far right of Fumakilla. 17 m, following the obvious dihedral through smooth rock to a finish with a nice surprise. FA: P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

RIDSECT
Sector at the right of Fumakilla. Can be reached directly from below (turn right at the bolder next to the last house and follow the trail slightly to the right) or you scramble down from the right hand side of Fumakilla. The left hand side of this sector offers climbing on stalactites of all sizes, the right hand side has smoother rock similar to White Wall. Range of difficulty: 5.10b - 5.10b.

1. Daisy Chain 5.10b, 12 bolts, This route takes the furthest left lane of the rows of stalactites at the left hand side of “Ridsect”. Good holds all the way. Watch out when lowering, this route is 32m long! FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Oct 17 2003)

2. Tribute to Jimmy Pop 5.10b, 9 bolts, 2 threads, 32m, climb the row of stalactites right of Daisy Chain. Crux at the overhanging finish. FA: J. Peet, P. Andrey (Nov 23 2003)

3. Limited Liability 5.10b, 8 bolts, left of “800 Bucks Down the Hill”, the route follows the obvious crack. FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

4. 800 Bucks Down the Hill 5.10b, 9 bolts, left of Otesanek, a crack leads to a comfortable ledge, from there steep up on good holds. FA: Mike Tee

5. Otesanek 5.10c, 5 bolts, short route that starts left of the obvious stilt root at the right hand side of Ridsect. The route follows the dihedral. FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

6. The Legacy of Luna 5.10d, 9 bolts, 24m, route at the right hand side of Ridsect, start right of the tree/root of “Otesanek”. Technical and a good test for your onsight capabilities FA: P. Andrey (Dec 7 2003)

LARVA
This is the huge boulder/rock that marks the entrance of Nyamuk. At the moment there are 3 short routes along the trail to “Fumakilla”. Range of difficulty: 5.7 - 5.10c. (Dec 1 2003)

1. Pulpit 5.7, 3 threads, 11 m, start at the stalactite left of “Stoning Lee”. Check out the hollow stalactite that gave the name to this line.FA: Peet, Andrey (Oct 19 2003)

2. Stoning Lee 5.10c, 3 bolts, 11m, taking the overhanging wall left of “Easy Root”. Lee got hit by a stone when Jeremy went for the anchor. FA: J. Peet (Oct 19 2003)

3. Easy Root 5.8, 1 bolt, 1 thread, 9m, this route is characterized by the root that leads the way and disapears through a tunnel at the very top. FA: J. Peet (Nov 23 2003)

There is also a short description about Nyamuk at Nomad Adventure -Nyamuk.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The information on Damai is bountiful, so I’ll leave you to explore the following webpages on your own…

Nomad Adventure - Damai

Rock Pod - Damai

Wira Adventure Consultant - Damai

Rock Climbing - Damai

Popularity: 11% [?]

I’d like to give credit to the person who provided me with all this information but it was a long time ago when I took it off a webpage that I can no longer locate. If you recognise any of this stuff as your work, please let me know, because I’d like to give due respect to where it’s owed.

I recorded all this information with the intention of going back to Bukit Takun, but I never got around to it. I’m not even sure about the routes we climbed during my first and only trip to Bukit Takun because we just rocked up that day and climbed the first route that looked “doable” to us.

When I found the following information on Bukit Takun, I tried to identify the area we climbed. Based on the route descriptions, I’m guessing it would have been “Rock Root” and the first pitch of “Pussey Key”. Of course, back then we were definitely no match for a 6B+, so we cheated our way through “Rock Root” climbing the tree vine that was conveniently placed alongside the route.

How to get there:

Follow Jalan Kuching / Jalan Ipoh for almost 14km past the toll to reach a petrol station on the right hand side. Turn right off the main road immediately past the petrol station. Head back towards the petrol station on a side road and turn left before reaching it. Follow this road over a bridge to a “T” junction and turn right. Follow the road, which bends round to the left, and up as far as the Golf Club House. Take a road on the left, opposite the Golf Club House just on a right hand bend. Follow this road to the top of the hill and turn left up towards the Villa overlooking the golf course at the base of the cliff. Park somewhere on this road and walk up to and behind the villa where a path through the forest can be found. Follow the path, at first more or less straight up and then diagonally left until near the base of the cliff where the path splits at a rock.

Description of the Area:

A good variety of climbing is to be found here and there is much scope for exploration and new routes. The routes described are bolted unless otherwise stated. Shade can be found for most of the day and many of the routes remain dry during the heaviest rain storms, though lightning frequently strikes the mountain. A 60 metre rope may be useful on some of the climbs or even a double rope for some of the multi pitch routes. All multi-pitch routes require an abseil descent unless otherwise stated.

Route Description:

The routes in the order that they are approached.

Routes on the left hand side of the crag:-

From where the path splits, follow it up and leftwards until very close to the bottom of the rock face, where you’ll notice that the ground becomes dry. Head diagonally down and then across to the foot of a reddish coloured slab to find the following routes.

• Expotential Starter, 5c, Ao, Ao
  Pitches 1 and 2 - P Andrich, A Foo, 1996
  Pitch 3 – P Andrich, M Estey, 5 Jan 1997
• Toes and Tips, 6b
  P Andrich, A foo, 4 Feb 1996
• Tyrannosaurus Rex, 6c+, 7a+(Ao), 6b, 6b
  P Andrich, D Estey, July 1997

From the bottom of the reddish slab, walk left and along a ramp for a few meters until you can scramble up to the bottom of a huge pillar of flow stone, at the bottom of which starts:

• China Girl, 6a+
  D Estey, P Andrich, 13 Jul 97

From the bottom of China Girl, scramble up a 5m rock face to the right and then walk right for a few meters to a stance in a bay. The following routes start to the left of the stance where the flowstone meets the solid rock.

• Cerro’s Ladder, 5+
  S Brown, G Hustinx, D Estey, Apr 1997
• Stairway to Heaven, 6a+, 5+, 6a+, 6a+ (P1 climb pitch 1 of Cerro’s ladder until an obvious traverse right can be made to a stance. P2 The route continues in a short pitch up through the stalactites to a large stance. P3 bear left and up to a stance at the base of a chimney. P4 climb the chimney until an awkward move out onto the face can be made and then straight up to the top anchor)
  Pitches 1, 2 and 3 (part) - P Andrich, D Estey, 7 Dec 1997
  Pitches 3 (part) and 4 - S Brown, C Wilson, Jun 1999

Back to the bottom of the reddish slab, head down a vague track and then across keeping close to the bottom of some granite slabs to find:

• The King’s Birthday, 6a+, 6a+, 6a (it is possible to walk/scramble off to the right and down to the foot of China Girl)
  P Andrich, D Estey, 7 Jun 1997
• Tarzan, 6a+ (take spare tat for top anchor)
  S Brown, Nov 1997

Keep on going slightly down, around and then slightly up and back onto limestone to find the start of:

• Transtakunian Skyway, 6a, 6c, 5c, 6a+, 6a, 7a+(Ao)
  P Andrich, D Estey, M Estey, E Burtscher, M Vasse, Apr-Jul 1997

Routes to the right hand side of the crag:-

Back to where the path splits, follow it up and rightwards for a short while until you’ll see a short steep wall with a flowstone smear on the right hand side. This wall contains the following routes from left to right:

• Red Legged Cricket, 6b+
  S Brown, E Burtscher, M Sant, 25 May 1997
• Jimeny Cricket, 6b
  S Brown, G Hustinx, 18 may 1997

A few meters on to the right where the path meets the rock is:

• Beginner’s, 5
  P Andrich, 16 Jun 1996
• Spider Line, 6b, 6a (P1 climb the corner with an overhang at the bottom and up to a stance shared with Rock Root and Pussey Key. P2 Traverse left at first, then up)
  P Andrich, M Vasse, D Estey, Steve, Matthew, Jan 1997
• Rock Root, 6b+ (climb up past a root which is useful to thread a sling around, then past the first stance of Pussey Key and directly up to the second stance of Pussey Key, which is also shared with Spider Line)
  P Andrich, A Foo, 10 Mar 1996
• Pussey Key, 6a+, 6a+, 6a+, 6b (P1 start at a weeping stalactite, move round the corner and up the dihedral to a ledge. P2 climb the short wall on the right and then make an awkward move up the wall above. Go left to the stance. P3 Climb the steep wall above until a move right can be made, step up onto a block, move up again and then right to the stance. P4 move back left and then up the steep flowstone above. Continue up short steps and a slab to a stance. The route from here, can be continued to the top of the mountain in 5 more pitches, taking on a more adventurous character, in which case a selection of nuts, friends and slings is advisable. You can then take the path down.. Alternatively, abseil back down.)
  Pitches 1-3 P Andrich, A Foo, Feb-Apr 1996
  Pitch 4 P Andrich, M Estey, 12 Jan 1997
  Remaining pitches P Andrich, D Estey, Steve, Yuen Li, Mar 1997

Up the path a few meters is an obvious large boulder. In the gap behind the boulder is:

• Raindance, 7a+, ?
  E Burtscher, M Vasse 1997
• Magic Sensations, 5+, 6b (6a+) (P1 start right of the large boulder and climb up to the stance. P2 continue up and onto a clean wall, move left and then up. Alternatively, go right, up and then back round left to the same stance (6a+))
  P Andrich, D Estey, M Vasse, May 1997
• Hornet Direct, 5+ (P1 as for Magic sensations. P2 continue directly up the dihedral where Magic Sensations splits either right or left – wires and friends required)
  S Brown, G Hustinx, Sep 1997

From here follow the track upwards for about 5 minutes to reach a large wall with gafiti on it and a big hole at the bottom. To the right of the hole and wall are the following routes from left to right:

• Pra Nang Start, 6b+/6c
  E Burtscher, M Vasse, 7 Dec1997
• Purple Haze, 6b+, 6b+ (6a) (wires and friends required - can be done in one pitch. An alternative to the second pitch is to traverse right and then up a line of flowstone (6a))
  P Andrich, D Estey, G Hustinx, Sep 1997
• Pee Like a Man, 6c
  M Vasse, E Burtscher, 14 Dec 1997
• Bee Calmed, 6a+, 5 (wires and friends required – P1 starts up Purple Haze and moves right onto the slab, traversing right under the overhang and on to a ledge and stance. P2 straight up the crack above)
  S Brown, M Santo, 23 Nov 1997

Note: Apparantly, a 3 pitch route requiring nuts and friends takes the direct line of Bee Calmed, starting at an obvious wide crack right of Pee Like a Man. This route was climbed by Mr Ho, years ago.

• 93$ Fish, 5c, 6a, 6b (starts further right in a recess - wires and friends required)
  D Estey, G Hustinx, 23 Nov 1997
• Hong Kong Pound, ?
  D Estey, Matthew, Nov 1998

Continue along the foot of the crag to reach an area where there’s a shelter and seats. There are both traditional and sports routes here.

You can also get more information on Bukit Takun at the following sites:

Nomad Adventure - Bukit Takun

The Rock Pod - Bukit Takun

There is also a book published by Climb Asia called “Climb Malaysia”. I believe there is section on Bukit Takun with directions, some topos and route descriptions.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Volleyball is another wall at Batu Caves. There’s a pretty good description on how to get there on rockclimbing.com, alternatively, you can check out the map drawn by Wira Consult. I’ve also drawn my own map (below), so take your pick…

Volleyball got it’s name because there used to be an old volleyball court at the base of the crag, but that has long since disappeared. Also known as “The Dump”, Volleyball became a rubbish dumping ground for some rather unethical companies.

There used to be an old guy staying in the area. He did a great job of cleaning up the place, however, I think he might have been fighting a losing battle against the rubbish dumpers. I haven’t been back there for a while, so I don’t really know the state of the wall at this point.

All I can remember is that the wall is fairly flat and smooth, although some of the routes are quite powerful. The wall is often in the morning sun so climbing in the late afternoon is generally preferable. There are 14 routes at this crag, all mostly fairly short, but bring along your 60m rope and it should be adequate even the longest routes.

Back when I was working this area, I collected all the information I could find on the crag from the internet, including the two topos below. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original site where these come from but I thought they were extremely useful. Kudos to the person who did them. There are three routes missing from these topos, but you can find them at rockclimbing.com or read about them from the route descriptions that accompanied the photographs.

These are the route descriptions from left to right:

Tsiguidou mon minou, 7a
Gerald Krug and Romanian Friend, Feb 00

There is also a route on the left of the routes marked on the photos (A tribute to Rakyat), which after a bit of a dirty start, develops into a fine and strenuous outing at about 6c. Bolted by Akmal, January 1999.

1. Bat Attack, 6a
S Brown, G Hustinx, Nov 98

2. Scorpion, 6b+
S Brown, G Hustinx, Sep 98

Missing Link, 6c+/7a (starts up Tiger and finishes up Scorpion)
S Brown, D Estey, 27 Feb 00

3. Tiger, 6b
S Brown, G Hustinx, Oct 98

4. Ants in’ya pants, 6a
S Brown, M Santo, 98

5. Tree total, 5
S Brown, C Wilson, Sep 98

6. Barracuda, 5/6a
S Brown, J Chin, Nov 98

7. La Nina, 6b+
S Brown

8. El Nino, 6b/6b+
S Brown, G Hustinx, Mar 98

9. Christmas Root, 6b/6b+
S Brown, M Tan

10. Sundance, 6c
S Brown, C Wilson, Jun 99

A route further to the right called Why you so like that has been bolted by Akmal and Yen (not yet climbed clean as at July 1999).

When we first started working on this area, we were pretty much into the swing of climbing. We were still 6A climbers pushing on the barriers of 6B, but we were a lot more focussed on the climbing now. As a result, there was also a lot less posing for the cameras, which is also why I have a scanty three photos in my collection for Volley ball.

This is a photo of Thin Man working the 6B route called “Tiger”. The stalagtite you see in front of him was the same one I crashed into when I took a whipper while projecting this route. The knee injury was my first serious injury from rock climbing and it put me out of commission for a month!

That’s me on the same route. I think this was after the first fall - which I came out of unscathed. It was the second fall that sent me home packing. I also cracked the casing of my one week old mobile phone because I forgot to take it out of my pocket - duh! The left knee was throbbing so bad, I couldn’t press the clutch in my car so I had to swop cars with my brother for a week.

This is Joe, a guy who was travelling through the area. He stopped by the Summit climbing gym looking for people to climb outdoors so we told him he was welcomed to climb with us. He put away “Tiger” like an entree, exhibiting all the finesse and grace of a superior climber. It’s such a shame we never got to see him climb anything else.

From the picture above, you’ll notice that this was probably one of Volleyball’s cleaner days. The route called “A Tribute to Rakyat” is hidden behind those bushes in the back ground.

Popularity: 13% [?]

The following is a piece I wrote about rock climbing about a year after I first started climbing in Malaysia.

In case you’re wondering, “JLC” is the abbreviation of “Jah Lap Climbing”, which is the name of a route at Damai, graded 6A+. It means “I Love Climbing”. The time when I red-pointed that route, I was hitting the up trend of my passion for climbing so I felt the name was rather apt.

May, 2003 - JLC

There are different aspects of climbing that keep drawing me to it and I find that as my climbing matures and as I change, the reasons that bring me back also start to change. The one constant so far has been the fact that I always come back for more even if the inspiration is no longer the same.

Being “in the zone” is the high of an addiction and climbing is my addiction. Basically it boils down to the fact that I’m doing something I love to do – climb. I used to run and I thought that the feeling of running fast was the most exhilarating sensation I have ever experienced. That was until I started climbing.

I have often wondered what it was about running that made me feel good. Yes, I suppose I can attribute some of that sensation with the elevation of endorphins circulating in my brain but there are times I felt there was more to it than that. It was the feeling of being free – like nothing can reach you, nothing can touch you. But I’ve been “in the zone” during a run and I still can’t really say it makes me feel the same way as I do when I climb.

When I’m on the threadmill or that eliptical cycle machine, I can only sustain concentration for a limited interval before the thought pops into my head: “How long have I been here?” Then when I check my watch, I’ll find that it’s only been about 2 minutes since I last checked my watch. It is much harder for me to reach “zone” status running than it is when I am climbing. If running is pethadine, then climbing is surely morphine (from a potency point of view). I can plan to hit the regular gym, but if anyone just suggests the notion of climbing, I can forget about everything else because I already know where I’ll be.

Running is like the cake and climbing is the ice cream on top. When I was a runner, I never knew what ice cream tasted like so I thought cake was all I could have. But now I’ve discovered ice cream, I’ve realized that I like the taste much, much more than cake.

So what makes the difference?

When I run, only my body is free. My mind is still enslaved by anxiety from the many encumbrances of daily life. Climbing provides me the avenue for true escape. It frees both my body and my mind. When I can enter the state of pure climbing, for that moment, I am no longer affected by the world I live in.

Climbing forces me to release the negative emotions because they detract from my climbing. If I want to climb well, I have to let them go. But when I run, I can still hold the anger inside. If anything, sometimes the anger provides the fuel to run – harder, faster. Running doesn’t teach me to let go. If I am angry when I climb, the wall rejects me. My strength is sapped by the energy it takes for me to stay angry. Climbing forces me to take control of my anger and if I fail to do so, I have to get off the wall. Running allows me to nurture that anger.

That is the fundamental difference between running and climbing – for me.

I once attended a psychology lecture about the hierarchy of consciousness. It all comes back to our basic instinct for survival. Until we meet the needs for survival there cannot be conscious pursuit for next level. When I climb and I feel afraid, the fear awakens that basic instinct. Reaching for the next handhold and advancing to the next bolt is all I can think about because in its own unique way, it has become a matter of survival for me – both from a physical and emotional aspect.

On other days, climbing is a voyage of discovery. Each time I climb, I learn more about myself – how I cope with problems, how I react to situations. I find that I respond to the wall the same way I handle issues in my life. When I climb, it heightens my awareness of instinctive behaviors of mine performed without conscious thought. It is a process of self-reflection allowing for the betterment of myself (if I choose to recognize the flaws and actually do something about it). It is also a source of encouragement to show myself that I can be more than the person trapped within the narrow limitations confined by my own mind.

The elation of climbing the “unachievable” – at least that which was unachievable to my own mind – is also a driver of the obsession for climbing. Take my whooping and the silly grin on my face after successfully leading Stalagasaurus for example. I walked around the beach with an idiotic grin on my face and that feeling of being on top of the world – I’m sure it was no small number of people there thinking that I had a few screws loose in my head but I certainly didn’t care. All the way up, a part of me felt I couldn’t achieve it. The mind was convinced that if I let go of one hand, I’d fall but when I had the courage to let go, I found that the other hand still managed to stick. This realization of concepts, verbalization of thoughts and visualization of theory in practice – these are the lessons I walk away with. I never believed until I witnessed, felt, and survived.

I used to think the titles were important - onsight, flash, redpoint. Now I don’t really care whether I get them or not. I don’t even remember how many of each I have had. I have heard someone who felt that “onsights” were the purest form of climbing. To me, an onsight is a one-night-stand. I don’t remember anything about the climb or how I did it. I’ve never had to caress the rock to get to know it, to find which places to hold and what moves to make. I’ve never looked at the wall, studied it, or desired it because it was “too easy”. That’s probably why all my favorite routes are those I’ve had to project – like Monsoon and Water.

There isn’t a really good climb or bad climb. Any new climb is a climb I want to do because every climb is a new experience to be explored. When I look at a new wall, I’m a kid in a candy store, trying to decide which sweet I want to try first. I’ll probably never get to taste them all, but I sure as heck am going to taste as many as I can.

So what really keeps me coming back for more? I guess the need to be emancipated would be the strongest motivator.

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Abseiling down a wet rope was rather unpleasant. As I’ve never had to jumar up anything before, I’ll have to defer to Le Grunt’s professional opinion on what it’s like to jumar up a wet rope after a long day of climbing and being half drowned out by rain.

Below Le Grunt readying the rope for his jumar ascent. Trust the techie gear-head to be the only one to know about these things…

All strapped in and ready to go…

The starting is always a little uncoordinated especially when you’re jumaring on a dynamic rope. Just ask Holdbreaker and he’ll tell you all about his experiences. Although I’ve often wondered how anyone can succeed in jumaring down a rope when his intended direction is up.

Starting to make some progress…

Although it certainly looks like hard work.

Starting to make some progress…

Although it’s rather slow going.

That’s about as far as we followed him because the whole process probably took longer than it took all three of us to climb the first pitch. Needless to say, Le Grunt made it up and my rope was freed to climb another day.

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Here are the photos that accompany the trip report from the previous post…

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The following is an amusing little trip report I wrote way back in 2003 when The Rockrats were still into rock climbing. I remember taking some photos - especially the ones of Le Grunt jumaring. They are around somewhere, but I’ll have to dig them up.

Saturday saw the Rockrats returning to their roots at Damai with new-to-outdoor climber Loong Yip in tow.

Another midnight ramble and a less than coherent recount of the Rockrats’ Sunday in the land of the Batu…

Return to Nyamuk

The Rockrats were bright eyed and bushy tailed – eager to nail a triple of brand new routes in Nyamuk at a wall called Anopheles. Feeling over-confident after some redpoints on Parang Butas (6B) and Hampir Tewas (6C) at Comic, the Rockrats felt ready to onsight these easy routes - Lariam (5A), Fansidar (5C) and Merdeka Crash (6A).

The hard lesson relearned for the day: always, always respect the rock. Suffice to say the Rockrats all lived up to their names…

Lelek Le Grunt made his signature moans on the start of Fansidar (5C – my ass, where got 5C with overhanging start, two finger pocket, lousy footholds and a deadpoint move?)

Holdbreaker broke off another hold just by touching it.

Moo Moo showed us all how to “static” a deadpoint move with her bull strength and breezed up where no Rockrat had succeeded before.

Combat Girl, Thin Man and Le Grunt then scooted off to the “mini wall” – Training Day. Led by Thin Man to the first anchor, followed closely by Combat Girl and Le Grunt, Combat Girl then took the lead up the second pitch. “It’s only a 5C,” she thought, “No sweat.”

Upon starting, she had the distinct feeling something was off. Didn’t Jeremy say that the second pitch was a 5C but only because of the crux? The rest of it was supposed to be a scramble. She thought to herself, “Wow, for a 5C scramble, this is rather vertical with lots of small holds…” After clipping the third bolt of the second pitch, she called down, “Um, guys, get ready to tight the rope ’cause I might fall.”

Something was definitely wrong with this 5C – very wrong. Firstly, there was a relatively blank overhang facing her. Secondly, the only hold she could find was a sloper. Never mind, just take a deep breath and climb – at least it she could stick it. Surely that next hold above was a nice jug. C’mon, step up and say, “Thank you, God” for the ju- shoot! What kind of jug is this??? *Beep* *Beep*! It’s a freaking crimp!

“TIGHT!”

Okay – hang dog and reassess. Brain slowly processes the thought… *Ding* the light bulb goes on as the truth slowly dawns… “Beep! What kind of 5C has a freakin’ sloper to a crimp on an overhang??! In my 5C days, I didn’t even know of the bleepin’ existence of slopers and crimps!”

Le Grunt yells up, “Where the heck did you get the grades for these routes anyway?”

“Um… Jeremy?” Combat Girl’s eyes narrows, “That Jeremy, he tricks us! Made us thinks this was a 5C!”

Thin Man on belay at the first pitch looks up, cocks his head to the side in deep thought. Eyes slowly focus and brows furrow. Wait a minute… that looks suspiciously like another bolt on the left. Eyes dart back up towards the path Combat Girl had taken and then back to the path on the left – 12 o’clock, then 10 o’clock.

“Er… You might wanna take a look to your left… You can see some bolts there on a route that looks distinctly like a scramble – a 5C scramble to be exact,” volunteers the Thin Man.

Looking from the blank overhang to the friendly scramble, Combat Girl starts to curse. She peers down, then back at the wall in front of her. Darn – don’t really want to go back down. Maybe, yes, maybe it’s still climbable… Maybe we should give it a try…

“Can’t you hear all the chickens clucking down here? We wanna do the 5C scramble!” protested the Thin Man and Le Grunt in unison.

After bailing and starting off again on the “real” 5C path, Combat Girl heaves a big sigh of relief. “This is the true 5C – wherever I put my hand and expect a hold (a jug to be precise), I will find one.”

Combat Girl makes it to the second anchor, secures herself and sets up belay. She yells down to the guys on the first pitch. Silence. “Mike!” Silence. “Derek!” Silence. “MIIIKEE!!! DEERREEEEKK!!!!” Still more silence.

“BEEP! Those jokers better not be kidding around or I’m gonna throw them off this multipitch when I get my hands on them.”

“SHEN!” came a voice from below.

“WHAT!?”

Silence.

And then: “SHEN!” repeated the voice.

“WHHHAAATT???”

Silence.

“SSHHHEEENNN!!!”

“WHHHAAAATTTTTT????? Beep beep beep!!!!!”

Silence.

Shoot! Just pull up the rope. If they aren’t tied in and ready to climb by now, then I’ll just enjoy the view from here by myself.

Meanwhile, back on the first pitch, the Thin Man sees the rope going up slowly and prays fervently that Combat Girl is on belay and starts to climb.

Rain sets in and three drowned Rockrats concluded the four pitch epic by bailing off the second pitch. Views are picturesque from the second pitch and I can only imagine what it would have been like from the anchor of the fourth pitch… The rain was beautiful and didn’t hit us until the wind blew it in. Unfortunately, we were too busy trying to get off the wall that we forgot to take any pictures, but watch this space…

Our adventure didn’t end here – after rappelling off the first anchor, a very wet, heavy and resisting rope refused to be pulled down. Lelek Le Grunt had to jumar up to free the rope and got a rather good workout in the meantime.

The Rockrats lived to climb another day, but we’ll be BACK!

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This is a picture of one of the 6A routes at Damai:

Once upon a time, I looked up at this route thinking to myself, “I’ll never be able to climb that!”

Well, “never” is a strong word. I’m glad to say that I was wrong.

I often like to reflect back on my perceptions of rock climbing from the early days up until the day I red-pointed my first 7A because it reminds me that my desire can break through the limitations of my mind. On days when I’m faced with obstacles that seem insurmountable, I bring these memories to the surface and reaffirm that nothing is impossible, it only appears to be so at that point in time. If I give it enough time and enough of my energy, it, too, will become another memory where the unmanageable became achievable.

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This picture depicts one of my defining moments in rock climbing. It was still early days in my climbing experience and we were rock climbing at Damai. The rain had washed us out and we were sheltered under one of the huts checking out S’s gear. I remembered being in awe of her rack as she took us through all the miscellaneous bits and pieces of her gear.

I still remember the thoughts I had in my head at the time. I call it one of my defining moments in rock climbing because this was when I first decided I was going to own my own rack and by hook or by crook I was going to be a real climber.

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