Pro-Sports

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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