the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

The Thai province of Krabi is well known climbing circles as one of the best places climb. Nestled in the Andaman Sea an connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of jungle, Rai-Leh Beach is essentiaL South East Asia: beautifuL and serene. TEXT: DAN SANTUCCI Travelers I'd met claimed that Rai-Leh Beach was the place to be. Boasting amazing kayaking, diving off the east and west coasts, snorkeling and world-class rock climbing, I figured it would be worth my while to check it out. Before arriving, the thought of trying my hand at rock climbing lingered vaguely in the back of my head. After arriving, hat thought began to take shape. But I'd been around ia for a few months, and learned that patience is a irtue. I knew it would take some time. I arrived at Rai-Leh Beach by boat and from the water I could see long-tail boats and a mangrove-lined coast. After the anchor was pitched, I rabbed my bag and waded through the lukewarm water to the virgin white strip of beach. Looking up, I discovered I was standing in the shadow of an enormous multicolored rock face. From the boat it hadn't appeared to be very big but up close it was at least 60 meters tall. That fi rst morning, on the sunrise side of the peninsula, I ran into a local named Chiao His eyes glistened with peace as he lay in his hammock listening to music. Lured by the soothing sounds I approached him and we began talking about climbing here at Rai Leh Beach. It turned out that he and a friend ran a climbing school called Pra Nang Climbers, and we were standing right in front of it. It looked no different than any of the other bamboo huts that lined the beach, except that it was filled with climbing shoes, harnesses, ropes and carabiners. I had a look inside. The walls were covered with posters of thrill seekers getting their fix. I could see an acoustic guitar and a didjeridoo in one corner. An electric generator hummed as it supplied current to the tape deck. Sensing my interest in climbing, Chia dug out a photo album and I sat down to look at it. Anxiety rushed over me as I gazed at photographs of Chia and his partner scaling various cl iffs. These guys were hard core, their dexterity and passion obvious. I left glowing with excitement and, although I'd said good-bye, Chia knew I would be back. The walk back to my bungalow offered me another glimpse of that majestic rock face. There it stood, rising out of the translucent water. A 90 degree pitch gave way to tropical vegetation that clung to the peak. I stared at it for a long time and fantasized about climbing in this dreamlike environment. morning, I went over to the at Pra Nang Bay. In the rock itself I could see green, gray and orange hues. The colors melted into stalactites that dripped water like tropical icicles. In the distant ocean were simi lar lush green outcroppings. The day moved slowly as I thought of the right time to climb. The scorching rays of the sun didn't ease until I afternoon, when the sun-moon ritual of hide and seek began. At about 6:40PM each evening, the sun met the horizon in a startling display of apocalyptic imagery. Monsoon rains came and went, just as a reminder that it was August. Days went by until, after a final morning of tranquil ity, I decided I was going to climb that afternoon. Armed with 500 Thai bhat in my pouch-enough cash to live for two days here-I headed out to find Chiao Instead, I found Jack, Chia's partner and the founder of Pra Nang Climbers. He had been operating and climbing at Rai Leh Beach since the sport began to take off here four years ago. After a harness fitting and a detailed lesson, it was time to head out to Muai Thai, where most visiting climbers go. The accessible face is huge and offers both advanced and novice routes. There are climbing spots all over this place and wherever there are bare areas you can bet someone has pitched anchors. The routes vary, ranging from 10 to 60 meters, vertical to overhangs. Jack talked me through the climb fi rst, step by step, reiterating that safety is the biggest factor. After showing me how to knot the rope and feed him some line, he got into position. "Ready?" he called out. "Ready!" I repeated. "Climbing!" he signaled. "Climb on! " I repl ied. Then off he went, scouring the rock like it was his fi rst

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