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We might have made Thailand’s sketchiest multipitch over xmas

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 natetan 02 Jan 2018
We tried to put up a new route on a wall way up behind Tonsai.

After a couple of days Jungle bashing we rapped in and it was not as good as we hoped.. this video shows the process of checking out the face.

youtube.com/watch?v=v3jNr4GZWFI&

Questions / feedback welcome. For the sensitive souls there is some strong language in this video.
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 1234None 02 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Did you have the titanium bolts ready?

Looks like a bit of an adventure. Makes one appreciate the effort, skills and local knowledge that successful first ascensionists employ when establishing quality new routes in the area.
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OP natetan 02 Jan 2018
In reply to 1234None:

We used cheap crap bolts and drilled deep enough to take off the hanger and bang them in. That way if the wall was worth climbing we could use fix lines off the bolts to put in glue-in titanium bolts (which take 24hrs to cure) for establishing the route.

As it turned out the whole face (even with taking the better looking line) is just far too loose with too many loose rock / sections of big loose stuff to clean. So we did not put more than a few bolts for the fixed ropes/belays when we rapped down.
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 john arran 02 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Good effort trying! One look at those yellow strata should have been setting off serious alarm bells, but I suppose every now and again we can be surprised at how impossibly solid something can be. I particularly liked the tactic of slaying mozzies on your leg by whacking them with a machete; can't see anything going wrong there!
 1234None 02 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

> We used cheap crap bolts and drilled deep enough to take off the hanger and bang them in. That way if the wall was worth climbing we could use fix lines off the bolts to put in glue-in titanium bolts (which take 24hrs to cure) for establishing the route.

I was wondering if you had a supply of titanium bolts ready, in case it had turned out to be worth bolting properly. The reason for the query was that I've also done some new routing out there and wondered where you'd have sourced the Ti bolts. Did you take them with you or was someone in Tonsai going to supply them?

As John says, looking at that wall from afar it does look very loose. That's not to say the route wouldn't have cleaned up eventually with a lot of traffic, but so many routes out there have already returned to nature. Why that wall rather than the many others in the region? Genuine questions about the reasons for the choice here, as I have also looked at many potential new crags out there over the years and mulled over the various issues with crags like these...



 Cheese Monkey 02 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Isn’t yellow limestone generally choss? With some exceptions I’m sure. Looks like an interesting adventure either way. I remember the clouds of mossies there myself, not much fun
 Dell 02 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Type 2 fun.

Did the garden shears come in handy?
OP natetan 02 Jan 2018
In reply to Cheese Monkey:

From our drone shots it looked like there couple be a few nice paths up around the less obviously loose stuff. It even looked better when rapping - only when I climbed / got up close could I see quite how bad it was!
 jon 02 Jan 2018
In reply to john arran:

> I particularly liked the tactic of slaying mozzies on your leg by whacking them with a machete; can't see anything going wrong there!

Even more so, nonchalantly wandering down the street, brandishing it in his hand...
OP natetan 02 Jan 2018
In reply to Dell:

Haha they were good for thin vines.. and you know, topery.
OP natetan 05 Jan 2018
In reply to 1234None:

We had bolts available should the wall look like it had the potential for a few lines / worth developing. Having a walk-off and a really nice top-out would have made it a cool mutli pitch venue if it was not choss.

Why that wall? We were looking at it while hanging in the dream-valley pool and thought it would be cool to check it out.
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 Simon Caldwell 05 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Looks a bit like  Whitestone Cliffe

 1234None 05 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:
> We had bolts available should the wall look like it had the potential for a few lines / worth developing.

Have you put up any other new stuff out there this year? I'd be interested to know for future trips...always nice to check out newly developed crags/routes.

> Why that wall? We were looking at it while hanging in the dream-valley pool and thought it would be cool to check it out.

As good enough reason as any.

Have you checked out some of the newer crags around Ao Nang? North Wall (on the massive white wall visible from most of Ao Nang), the White Dome (next to the High Ropes thing on the road between Krabi and Ao Nang and visible from "The Hub" coffee shop, Naga (acces issues possibly) etc? There is also a lot of great looking potential on the road out to Ao Thalane.... The rock on these crags is good and all probably have the sort of multi-pitch potential you are looking for.

The routes out on Koh Yawabun also rarely get done - a bit of a pain with boat access, but the existing routes are superb (might need rebolting), with loads more multi-pitch potential on perfect rock.
Post edited at 14:16
 Baron Weasel 05 Jan 2018
In reply to natetan:

Like the spirit of adventure - but what's with the lack of helmet and the 'Slavery gets shit done' T-shirt?
OP natetan 11 Jan 2018
In reply to 1234None:

> Have you put up any other new stuff out there this year? I'd be interested to know for future trips...always nice to check out newly developed crags/routes.

Simon has been rebolting a bunch and added some pitches in Eagle wall and lost world or something.. Mostly lower grade/accessible stuff which is cool.

> Have you checked out some of the newer crags around Ao Nang? North Wall (on the massive white wall visible from most of Ao Nang), the White Dome (next to the High Ropes thing on the road between Krabi and Ao Nang and visible from "The Hub" coffee shop, Naga (acces issues possibly) etc? There is also a lot of great looking potential on the road out to Ao Thalane.... The rock on these crags is good and all probably have the sort of multi-pitch potential you are looking for.

I have been over to the new Ao Nang crags once - its pretty cool.  Never even heard of Ao Thalene - I will look it up.. my time in tonsai is coming to an end for this year but there is always next season

> The routes out on Koh Yawabun also rarely get done - a bit of a pain with boat access, but the existing routes are superb (might need rebolting), with loads more multi-pitch potential on perfect rock.

Interesting to know - thanks!

 

OP natetan 11 Jan 2018
In reply to Baron Weasel:

Just forgot the helmet and the t-shrit.. well I guess it is true to some extent even if slightly off taste.. bit of scandi noir humour for you.

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