In reply to steve taylor:
While Saudi Arabia may not immediately spring to mind as an obvious climbing venue, the mountainous region of the Asir in the south west of the country actually offers excellent rockclimbing. There is a large international community in the Asir's main city, Khamis Mushayt, and a steadily growing number of climbers throughout the country, especially at the American bases.
The loosely formed Khamis Alpine Club will provide local route information as well as offering beginners' courses.
There are a fair number of different climbing areas in the Asir, though the most accessible lie to the east of the desert where an escarpment hundreds of kilometres in length runs from Jeddah in the north to the spectacular Tanomah National Park south of Tiaf and close to the border with Yemen.
The escarpment contains numerous 180-200m high, volcanic granite monoliths, with the most developed venue being the 200m Zor Rock at Wadi bin Hashbal about 40 minutes drive from Khamis. The Rock's excellent granite offers a variety of traditionally protected and bolted routes of all grades and climbing styles. More than 30 climbs have been recorded to date and a list of recommended slab routes would include The Deceptions (5.9), Sleepless Nights (5.1 0) and Sickle Moon (5.1 0). Great face climbing can be found on Just Good Friends and Aggravation (both 5.1 0). There are several superb cracklines, the best of which, Lion (5.9), follows a perfectly direct line from bottom to top of the monolith. Most development on the escarpment has taken place in the AI Habla area, 40 kilometres from Khamis but the huge length of this feature means that exploration is still very much in its infancy.
The Tanomah National Park is around 120 kilometres from Khamis towards the town of Tiaf. The huge rounded granite domes there are reminiscent of California's Sierra Nevada and Yosemite Valley. Two fine new lines have
recently been completed: Goat Herders' Nightmare (5.9), which follows the corner in the prominent book-shaped peak on the west side of the valley and Brand New Lime Green Tape (also 5.9), which climbs the previously unexplored free standing pillar just outside the town of Tanomah. The development of both areas described above is progressing rapidly, though currently exploration has barely scratched the surface and numerous major lines remain virgin. Now comes the bad news. Access to this part of the Middle East is almost impractical for the average rock jock. Unless you are working out there and have a valid Entry/Exit visa, permission to visit Saudi will only be granted to those with a very close relative resident in the country, or to a Muslim wishing to attend an important religious celebration.
INFO: Julian Fisher, High Magazine August 1995
Post edited at 10:52