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Adventurous CLIMBERS WANTED

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 Dave Lucas 31 Oct 2014
premier post photo
“We had just hopped off the cart that the donkey had been pulling through the dusty streets of Kassala. Although it was February the Sudanese morning sun was warm on our backs as it shone down from the bright blue African sky. We pulled our backpacks on, slung the boulder matts over our shoulders and walked along narrow pathways that cut past small grass roof huts. Then there it was, the reason why we had travelled to this exotic and mostly unknown place, and all we could do was stand and gawp. We looked out at the vast amount of unclimbed granite in front of us. Boulders surrounded the giant domes that broke free from the ridge. That is when it really hit home; we were there for the next 11 days, knowing that we were most likely the only climbers in the whole country. The only climbers to pioneer our own new routes and boulder problems. The only climbers who will soon be collecting stories of climbs above baboons and underneath the wings of vultures. The only climbers sat on street corners sharing coffee with tribes’ men carrying swords, daggers and throwing sticks. Knowing that at the end of our expedition our own routes and problems would have contributed to what will be the first guidebook to the area.”

Of course all this is still yet to happen, as the expedition does not start until the 31st of January 2015, but to know how you could own this story and be apart of this 2-week trip click on the link below:

http://expeditionconsultancy.com/wp/our-expeditions/future-rock-climbing-ex...
 Trangia 31 Oct 2014
In reply to Dave Lucas:

How safe is the area?

The Foreign Office is giving general advice against travelling in Sudan due to terrorist threat, although the risk does seem to vary from area to area,

Since the beheading of a French mountain guide by jihadists in Algeria I feel very wary about travelling to areas where there is unrest.
 Trangia 31 Oct 2014
In reply to Dave Lucas:

Sorry just read your link to the FO. My concern about terrorism is not that the locals will be unfriendly, but from extremists, who may not be local, and who see unsuspecting Western tourists as soft targets.

As I understand it this is exactly what happened to Herve Goudel in September when he was kidnapped and murdered within a short time of arriving in Algeria a country he knew well and in which he felt "safe".

The threat now posed by IS and sister extremist organisations is to too great to be ignored if travelling in Muslim countries where terrorists are known to operate. It's impossible to guarantee a risk free environment, but there are plenty of other "safer" areas in the world to go climbing, and my personal view is that "higher risk" countries are best avoided, at least for the time being.

I'd be interested in your views on this and the safety of your upcoming trip?
OP Dave Lucas 31 Oct 2014
In reply to Trangia:

Thanks for your interest and concern in how safe the area is. The FCO advice for the area we are going to is classed as green, which means there are no travel restrictions in place. Some parts of Sudan are classed as red and orange, but we will not be going there.

My wife and I both felt very safe walking around Khartoum and Kassala during the day and night when we went there at the end of 2013. Obviously you still need to keep your wits about you, as you do everywhere. In all the years of expedition experience I have had which includes travel to Algeria, Mali, Iraq, Iran, Colombia and many other countries perceived as dangerous I have only ever been mugged twice; once in London and the other in Bristol. The TXC has travelled to over 80 countries and we agree that this felt perhaps one of the most relaxing and safest places we have been to.

The media is very good at controlling our perception on how dangerous the world is. I remember being in China during the 2011 riots in London. Many Chinese came up to me during that time showing great concern for my welfare expecting that I was to be in grave peril on my return to the UK.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have anymore questions.

Climb safe

Dave
OP Dave Lucas 31 Oct 2014
In reply to Trangia:

Yes the chance of terrorist attacks have risen in recent years, so we all need to weigh the risks and make our own personal decisions when going on expeditions, as we would also do when considering the chance of having a road accident or being in a plane crash. I do not consider the risk of terrorism to us to be generally elevated just because you travel in a muslim country. I take your point on board and we do obviously consider all points of views within our safety policy and when we risk assess an expedition.

Once again thanks for raising a concern that many people will have.

Dave
 Trangia 31 Oct 2014
In reply to Dave Lucas:

Thanks for your responses. I have had a lifetime of travelling throughout the world, and have been robbed both in Spain and South Africa, but these experiences haven't put me off. It's the facelessness of the current IS threat that I find disturbing as it somehow feels like an enhanced risk, considerably more than the perceived risk of violence in a country say like South Africa where to some extent you can assess and manage the degree of risk you are prepared to accept. I have a friend who now carries a fire arm when he goes cragging off the beaten track in South Africa.

Anyway that apart, your upcoming trip looks fascinating, for the reasons I have stated it wouldn't be for me at this time, but I wish you all the best with your planning.
In reply to Trangia: It's an interesting question and one that's worth a discussion. I'm going on this trip is the first thing I should say. I have a very low level of concern about the dangers from nutters. I am more concerned about what will happen when I come face to face with a vulture half way up some new route. I climb in Southern Sinai regularly, and that whole area gets an orange warning from the FCO. The only area that gets a green is what they laughably call the "Sharm el Sheik security area". If I were a fanatic, it would be incredibly easy to get into this so called security area and cause mayhem. The area that's classed as "All but essential travel" is very calm and quiet, and the locals are absolutely certain there are no dangers from nutters, and they should know. Armed Bedouin patrol the wadis that connect north to south sinai and they report no activity for many many years. I'm also going to Afghanistan later next year and I expect the biggest dangers I face to be grumpy yaks, dodgy Tajik driving and altitude sickness.

Groups like IS depend on this facelessness to instill fear and uncertainty, it's one of their tactics. Also, understanding that the bad things that happen in the world are always amplified by an ill infoirmed and sensationalist media, which makes it seem like these things are happening everywhere, when they are not.



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