Pro-Sports

Here are more photos from the archives of the Rockrats.  These are from our first trip down to Singapore to climb, which I believe was in August, 2003.  I remember because we went down in 3 cars and someone had this wise idea of sticking Merdeka flags to our cars.  The glue wasn’t very strong, so the flags were gone by the time we arrived in Singapore.

We planned the trip after meeting a bunch of Singaporean climbers who came up to Damai to climb one weekend.  They invited us down to climb in Singapore giving us details of two places that they frequent - Safra Yishun, which is an outdoor artificial wall, and Dairy Farm, which is a natural granite quarry turned recreational park.

I’ll post the photos from Dairy Farm in another post.  Below are the ones from Safra Yishun…

There are two sections to the place - a boulder wall and a vertical climbing wall.  You can see why the Singaporean climbers are all so strong - every single wall has an incline of some sort.

Here’s a view of the vertical wall with the boulder wall in the background.  It’s a shot from the beginner’s side with the power routes on the back.  You’ll notice that even the so-called “easy” routes have inclined sections. 

Here’s a shot of the power routes:

Jugs or no jugs, these walls are still a challenge to climb - especially when you’re a slab climber like me…

Here is Fearless Leader seconding for a change:

And 5C Master on the not-so-5C route:

This shot was taken after my very painful climb to the top of the overhang.  I gotta thank Ken setting up the top rope and for hauling my behind up the rest of the way…

How to get to Safra Yishun from Woodlands Checkpoint (thanks Ken for the directions):

1. Take SLE and exit at Yishun (exit 3)
2. Turn left into Lentor Avenue
3. At the next traffic junction turn right into Yiahun Avenue 1
4. Take the next left turn, into Yishun Avenue 4
5. Continue until you see SAFRA Yishun. Turn right into carpark (marked with red star on attached map).
6. After parking, proceed to main reception on ground floor (near the huge staircase).
7. Pay S$10 climbing fee
8. Walk up the stairs and across the suspension bridge to the climbing walls.
9. Present receipt at office.

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