I have visited the gym yesterday and have seen many newby climbers and some familiar regulars as well, who are now busying themselves doing project routes on the massive overhanging wall there. The beginners are crowding the top rope routes at the back of the overhanging wall.

I have spoken to Shah (a.k.a. Abang Long) who manages the gym and he has informed me of some interesting facts that I shall hope to share with you all.

The gym is now open to the public. There is no entrance fee at present. Entry is FREE! Until prices have been finalized. So take advantage [...]]]>

I have visited the gym yesterday and have seen many newby climbers and some familiar regulars as well, who are now busying themselves doing project routes on the massive overhanging wall there. The beginners are crowding the top rope routes at the back of the overhanging wall.

I have spoken to Shah (a.k.a. Abang Long) who manages the gym and he has informed me of some interesting facts that I shall hope to share with you all.

The gym is now open to the public. There is no entrance fee at present. Entry is FREE! Until prices have been finalized. So take advantage of its free entry status now to have a look and try the walls. The eventual entry charge is estimated to be within the range of RM7 to RM10 only.

The gym is open now from 10am to 8pm weekdays and 10am to 10pm Friday and Saturday. There is ample lighting at night and visibility is not a problem at all.

Heat however is a bit of an issue. The facility has no Air Conditioning and at present, no fans. All ventilation and cooling is from air movements through the facility doors that open directly to the outside of the building. Although this keeps the floor area reasonably cool, climbers on the walls further up will experience more heat and because of the poor air circulation higher up the wall, condensation increases causing heavy perspiration, and discomfort. So expect to sweat like a pig and bring lots of chalk, and a spare shirt and / or towel.

Rental of equipment is available as per below:

• Bouldering Package (Chalk Bag + Shoes) – RM9 (Adult), RM8 (Student)
• Top Rope Package (Harness + Belay Device + Chalk Bag + Shoes) – RM17 (Adult), RM15 (Student)
• Lead Climb Package (Rope + Harness + Belay Device + Chalk Bag + Shoes) – RM30 (Adult), RM25 (Student)

Classes

At the moment there is only a basic introductory wall climbing course for top rope available. If I remember correctly, the charge is RM60, although please call Abang Long for more information (012-6227034) and booking.

I will go today and speak to Abang Long about these various things and will post it tomorrow.

At the moment entrance is free and will be for some months until a more thorough pricing policy is decided.

So its great that [...]]]> Its been common knowledge amongst a select few people that this gym is now open to climbers. It is open from 10am to 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 10pm on weekends. Equipment can be rented although I am not sure yet how much this will be charged. We are also not sure yet how the training offerings will be structured.

I will go today and speak to Abang Long about these various things and will post it tomorrow.

At the moment entrance is free and will be for some months until a more thorough pricing policy is decided.

So its great that this new gym is open for climbers to try at a new wall. The grades are quite tough and challenging.

Come on over and try it.

More info to come soon.

So many people have been asking us when this gym is finally going to open. The climbing walls have been completed a year ago and the building around it has been ready since late last year. From time to time we go back to the Putrajaya Challenge Park climbing gym to gaze through the enclosed climbing walls lying silent and lonely behind the glass doors. There is no one inside, and outside, there is a guard who sits around watching as visitors look on into the facility.

The news article in The Star said June 2009 would be when it opens [...]]]>

So many people have been asking us when this gym is finally going to open. The climbing walls have been completed a year ago and the building around it has been ready since late last year. From time to time we go back to the Putrajaya Challenge Park climbing gym to gaze through the enclosed climbing walls lying silent and lonely behind the glass doors. There is no one inside, and outside, there is a guard who sits around watching as visitors look on into the facility.

The news article in The Star said June 2009 would be when it opens earlier in the year. We have then heard that a tender was going on for the management of the facility, which was won by a local firm which some many know of. But until today, the doors remain closed, the car parks empty, the walls embarrassingly devoid of shoe marks, the features clean of chalk.

We are not sure what is happening in the background between the new managers of the PCP climbing gym and the government owners. Perhaps someone from the inside can clear speculation and we cant say for certain here why the doors remain closed. One can only imagine that the process is gridlocked by bureaucracy in one form or other, and until all that is cleared away with, this gym has to be kept trapped behind the red ribbon.

I await the opening and will inform you all of it when it comes to be.

If anyone has more detailed information about this, please post it here for all others to see.

Regards,
putra

Trying to connect to the community I tried going to the YMCA with a climbing gym in it and perhaps hook up with some climbers there. I managed to get some directions to Beacon Hill which is just off the Kowloon Tong station View Larger Map

Taxi driver [...]]]> I didnt  exactly have a good experience climbing in Hong Kong. In fact, I didnt have any experience at all. The weeks prior to my trip there I made numerous attempts at contacting the climbing community there which yielded no result. Emails went unanswered and requests for more information was also to find no response.

Trying to connect to the community I tried going to the YMCA with a climbing gym in it and perhaps hook up with some climbers there. I managed to get some directions to Beacon Hill which is just off the Kowloon Tong station
View Larger Map

Taxi driver dropped me off at some juvenile correctional facility and the guards were very surprised and confused when I walked up to the reception. Despite its british past, people are not too keen to speak english here and I always find that I get passed from one person to another when speaking in english. I would have expected that most people here speak english, it being commonwealth and all. Apparently not. The moment you open your mouth to speak english, people become immediately more conservative.

The same happened at the climbing site of Beacon Hill. Climbers werent all too forthcoming about someone new being around and werent too keen to chat. So i didnt manage to do any climbing in Hong Kong. But I did take some pictures. From the juvenile correctional facility (who’s reception guy didnt know anything about any climbing areas) I walked behind the centre and up this little road toward the hills in the hopes that I might find some climbers there. I was walking for some 20 minutes when I spotted up ahead in the distance a rock face and some climbers. Getting from the road to the climbing area took me quite some time of getting lost in unclearly marked trails that disappear into nowhere. Under the really hot summer sun of Hong Kong, I was severely dehydrated by the time I got to the base of the rock and found the climbers.

If anyone has gone to Hong Kong for climbing, I would appreciate some more pictures and perhaps any words regarding it as I cant relate a first hand experience myself. Any contributions welcomed.

Regards,
putra

For all those [...]]]> Sorry that lately there have been no updates on this site. It is in a way because I have grown tired of being the only one updating it even if we have a list of contributors who are able to log in themselves and add content about their experiences and news. I have received lots of support from friends and strangers online and offline… but for the most part support has been of the lip service variety, and only a few individuals made the effort to contribute anything, and to those few I say thank you very much.

For all those who use the excuse that they dont have time to contribute, please consider that I also have a full time job and also have no time. Consider also the amount of time you spend uploading content onto Facebook or spend chatting during office hours.

I have found that my efforts to create a community site have found no audience of willing participants and thus I question my time and energy spent in maintaining this site when the same energy can be utilized elsewhere to greater personal benefit.

So I am sending this notice to all who wish to try their hand in maintaining this site henceforth. Perhaps someone with more energy may take over from me.

Any takers, please make yourself known. Else I will discontinue this service after some time due to lack of response.

Regards,
putra

A few months ago a group from Singapore had come down to stay at Volleyball court wall (Batu Caves) and sought help for accommodation and such. Having helped them get this, I then had a day of climbing with them and also dinner. It rained a little but otherwise I hoped they had enjoyed themselves. The group climbed normally at the SAFRA Yishun Country Club, Yishun Singapore, which is one of many community clubs for the use of the Singapore national service (NS) men and their families. There is a day climbing charge there of some 16 Singapore Dollars and [...]]]>

A few months ago a group from Singapore had come down to stay at Volleyball court wall (Batu Caves) and sought help for accommodation and such. Having helped them get this, I then had a day of climbing with them and also dinner. It rained a little but otherwise I hoped they had enjoyed themselves. The group climbed normally at the SAFRA Yishun Country Club, Yishun Singapore, which is one of many community clubs for the use of the Singapore national service (NS) men and their families. There is a day climbing charge there of some 16 Singapore Dollars and that doesnt include gear rental. Quite expensive but when you see how well the centre is maintained you may think its money well spent.

Last week, on a short visit to Singapore I managed to visit the Yishun climbing club. I contacted Derek (who founded this club on facebook) and he organised a pickup and a visit to the climbing walls. I would like to say I climbed there a full day, but this would be a lie. I was very hungover from the night before and didnt do very much actual climbing. I spent time watching climbers and trying to sleep on the grass without getting bitten by black ants,  or on the pavements trying to avoid the direct sun.  However I was pleased to meet up with several people I had met before at Batu Caves months ago.

The climbing facilities were quite formidable. 6 back to back walls stood in the centre of a clearing. There was one overhanging wall. The others varied in inclination from directly vertical to slightly inclined (10 to 20 degree from the vertical). There rear walls had a kind of undulating flow to it which made for interesting routes.

The clearing was covered in small white pebbles which made it uncomfortable to walk around near the walls in bare feet. But it does serve to keep the area dry and doesnt allow puddles to form, which may be a good pay off for an outdoor wall. There is also a lack of shade around the climbing area which made for very direct sun light during the late mornings and early afternoons. These 6 main walls were 11 or 12 metres high.

On the other side we see a much higher wall that is not utilised by the regulars because the climbs are rather easy and somewhat ungraded. It is however useful for endurance training as it stretches to some 20 metres or so. Am not sure exactly how hight it is. On the other side of this wall is an interesting chimney section, next to a soft artificial ice climbing training wall, with soft padding to plunge your ice axe into.

Housed within this same building is the bouldering area, which is two floors filled with inclined and roof routes. The passageway to the 2nd floor also has routes on it and you can do a long climb that goes up to the 2nd floor if you wish. The bouldering section is also air conditioned which makes for a very pleasant contrast to the exposed heat on the outside walls. Its also a good place to fall asleep if you are hungover from a night out before hand. Not that this is something you should aim to do in normal circumstances.

The community climbing centre is government run but is in such stark contrast to our Malaysian government run facilities to be not worth the comparison. The area is unsurprisingly clean, the showers are functioning, grime free and there actually is an active community that takes care of the running and safety of the gym. Instructors are very qualified and sit for exams with the Singapore Mountaineering Federation. I do not think we have a similar level of certification and safety here in Malaysia. In terms of community awareness around the sport, I would say we are extremely backward.

It was a very interesting and enlightening trip to visit the community and I thank them for the great hospitality. I wont ever make a trip down to Singapore just for climbing (who would… when all of them are coming up to Malaysia on the weekends… )… but I will definitely bring my gear to go climbing there if I so happen to go down to Singapore in the future.

Hopefully the community will come up again to Malaysia and give me to opportunity to host them once more. Thanks very much to you all.

Ipoh anyone?

Regards,
Zee

Thanks to Lok Hon San (or Ah Lok as he is known) for the answers to the questions below. Also the slideshow is from pictures donated by MadMonkeyz.

1. Who started it or who are involved in it? A list of names and pictures will be quite good info.

Wong Shi Wen, Lok Hon San

2. [...]]]> A while ago, we posed some QnA to MadMonkeyz to get more information about the history of this gym. Due to their extremely busy schedules from first opening, we were unable to get a response from the founders. But as per below now they have gotten back to us.

Thanks to Lok Hon San (or Ah Lok as he is known) for the answers to the questions below. Also the slideshow is from pictures donated by MadMonkeyz.

1. Who started it or who are involved in it? A list of names and pictures
will be quite good info.

Wong Shi Wen, Lok Hon San

2. What are the experiences of people above? how many years climbing, or
bolting operations +++

Wong Shi Wen & Lok Hon San = recreational climbers, 5 years of climbing
each. However, there has a lot of people in the industry that has been
supporting us to help this project become a reality.

3. How does what you are doing relate to Greentrekkerz? Do you intend some
kind of link between these two?

Greentrekkerz will always remain a club where everything started for us
personally. A club where we had the opportunity to have our outdoor forays.
Where I learn basically to stay alive while climbing outdoors.

4. Since when did you all think about setting this up?

This idea was a brainchild of many climbers that we knew. The team did a
survey where many outdoor climbers wanted a no-frills place to train & then
utilise their skills outdoors. Cost for entry have to be low, the
environment friendly and relaxed.

5. Why you chose to start it?
We saw the demand from regular climbers and also wanted to give easy access
and lower the barriers for people to pick up climbing as a sport.

6. Why did you choose Wangsa Maju?
Wangsa Maju has one of the highest population of students in the Klang
Valley. From KTAR, UTAR, MIA, UIAM & others. Furthermore, this area is a
new market where many people have not tried the sport before & students
from outstation all over the country congregate here to complete their
tiertiary studies. This allows massive exposure of the sport to much of the
young malaysian population.

7. Any difficulties or challenges in setting this place up?

There were heaps of challenges, the team worked very hard in the face of
difficulties, like the lack of skilled workers, to the long working hours.
Of course, like every new start-up, controlling cost are a factor & also
the fear of uncertainty of how the new market here will respond.

Educating a new market also presented a very tough challenge to convince
people that climbing is a sport and not an amusement ride.

8. Describe your facilities? How many routes? What grade range? How many
overhanging roof routes? How high walls?

The facility on level 1 is one-third beginner walls, travessing, training &
campus boards and bodyweight training equipment.
Walls are about 3 and a-half metres.
On the 2nd level, the height of the walls are almost the same as the 1st
level, with more overhanging walls. Almost the whole of level 2 has a roof.

9. How many members you have?
We so far have around 50 members. So far, almost a thousand ppl have come
to try the facilities.

10.What are membership packages like?
For our membership, prices start from RM 49- per month for a normal
membership & RM 39- per month for students. However, we have many various
packages and also general entry prices to select from.

11. What days are busiest?
Friday & Weekends

12. What is average number of climbers per day?
Around 35

13. What other classes do you provide and how much?
We highly recommend that 1st timers take a beginner introductory class to
help them accelerate their basic learning of climbing at the gym. The price
is only rm 20-. The session is an hour.

14. What other services and how much?
We should be adding outdoor climbs & we also supply safety equipments and
climbing gears.

——————————————–
Thanks to Ah Lok for the information. Below a slideshow of the pictures he donated.

The Noble House  stands slightly obscure amidst the madness of the main Catba harbour street called 1/4. The 2nd floor of the Noble house is home to SloPony adventure company. Run by two American climbers Onslo Carrington and Erik Ferjentsik (a.k.a “Pony”… I never got round to asking why) whom have (in their love for east asia and climbing) come down to Vietnam and invested their time, money and energy to develop climbing routes around Catba island and the surrounding islands.

On a backpacking trip across Vietnam, I arrived at Catba island at a very [...]]]>

The Noble House and SloPony Adventures

The Noble House  stands slightly obscure amidst the madness of the main Catba harbour street called 1/4. The 2nd floor of the Noble house is home to SloPony adventure company. Run by two American climbers Onslo Carrington and Erik Ferjentsik (a.k.a “Pony”… I never got round to asking why) whom have (in their love for east asia and climbing) come down to Vietnam and invested their time, money and energy to develop climbing routes around Catba island and the surrounding islands.

On a backpacking trip across Vietnam, I arrived at Catba island at a very bad time. Erik had just returned from getting married in Hue, and everyone else had also just returned from the wedding, and therefore all organisation was very tricky with Erik’s guests still being around and needing attention. To make it worst, the weekend was the first weekend following the two day national holidays of April 30th (South Vietnam Liberation Day) and May 1st (Labour Day), and so many Vietnamese have taken their families on a long weekend vacation to none other than Ha Long bay and Catba island. Accomodation was sparse and expensive. Accommodating their own wedding guests had been a problem, and I couldnt find any place to stay, and so on the floor of the Noble House I lay to sleep one night at the kind permission of the owner. I am told that on normal days, Catba island is a quiet and peaceful town where accommodation is cheap and the crazy crowds I saw on the waterfront till late at night are absent.Its hard to imagine that.

Catba island is reachable from Hanoi through the public bus from Hoang Long company. More detailed directions can be found from SloPony’s website here. It has accessibility problems and is a little bit more complicated to get to for Malaysian climbers compared to the mecca of Krabi. First you have to fly into Hanoi, which from LCCT Malaysia takes some 3 hours, then you have to get from the airport into the city which takes an hour and 2USD on the Vietnam Airlines shuttle, or 12USD on a taxi. Then you have to get a to the Luong Yen bus station and catch the Catba bus at either 5:20AM, 7:20AM, 11:20AM, and 1:20PM daily. Taking another 3 hours by car, then a 45 minute boat ride, followed by a further 30 minute bus ride to Catba town. This is where SloPony is located. Then you have to rent a bike or hire a driver to take you to the crags which is another 30 minutes away. Sounds like a lot of work.

Butterfly Valley

The Noble House is a three story shop owned by an Australia guy called Peter (Thanks for the correction Andy). He now resides on Catba island and in his building there is a restaurant on the ground floor, a climbing / adventure company on the 2nd floor, a bar on the 3rd floor and a youth hostel somewhere too. I didnt actually manage to see where the youth hostel was. At their base at the Noble House, SloPony Adventures organises their tours to the various climbing locations.

At time of print, Catba and surroundings have some 45 bolted routes in various locations. The routes are not near the Noble House, and a bit of travelling on a bike or taxi is required to get to the crags of Butterfly Valley. The bike journey took some 30 to 40 minutes to reach a beautiful valley. The map to this location can be found from the SloPony guide book. Apart from Butterfly valley there are several other locations with a few climbs. The other climbs are reachable by boat to be arranged through SloPony adventures.

Deep water solo (DWS) opportunities are abundant, but unfortunately heavily dependent upon the tide which varies in height through the month and through the year. The height of the tide can vary 3 feet, which will affect whether or not you can get on the rock from the boat and also the safety aspect as well. Do call up SloPony before planning a trip specifically for DWS in order to avoid disappointment.

Onslo Carrington and Erik Ferjentsik

Speaking to Erik and Slo and also Brian (just started working with SloPony) on their ventures here in Catba island, they have said that they have used 12mm thick 60mm long expansion bolts on their crags (as pictured in slideshow below). They plan to bolt 60 new routes every year to add to the existing 45. I found Erik, Slo and Brian to be very friendly and accommodating despite the mad rush of restarting business after the wedding, amidst rush hour holiday season. Rental of equipment is available from harness to shoes to ropes so you dont have to bring your own if you dont want to. And if you dont happen to meet climbers hanging around Catba at SloPony’s (like I did) you can choose to hire a local Vietnamese climber belay guy to go with you. It costs some 480 000 Dong a guide a day (roughly 90 ringgit).

The other areas to climb are located on other smaller islands and secluded beaches accessible by boat. There are also plenty of DWS to try as mentioned previously… also accessible by boat. I managed to climb the Polish Pillar while I was there which is a only a 5b but on trad. We reached the Polish Pillar by boat organised by SloPony, and then rowed to the base of the pillar by basket boat, and using a ladder reached the raised base where we started the climb. It was fairly easy, but the view was spectacular. In the right conditions, you can even jump off the pillar into the water, but from a lower ledge.

Polish Pillar

Other costs include a government imposed day pass for all climbers costing 30 000 dong a day (6 ringgit) and an optional 50 000 dong (10 ringgit) prepared lunch option at Butterfly valley by the local residence there. This is well worth it as the crag is far from any restaurants and the food served is absolutely delicious, and should just be tried simply because it is good. Rental of a bike to the crag and back again would cost some 70 000 dong (14 ringgit).

Yummy spring roles

I believe Catba island climbing is a great place once you are there. It has a mix of activities to do like canoeing and island hoping, biking around the island or sunning by the beach, that makes things a bit more interesting, and so would appeal to a mixed crowd of vacationeers who dont exactly want to spend all the time on the rocks. It being a bit more complicated to get to as well will be a discourager to the more focused group of climbers who simply want to get to a place quickly and do as much climbing as they can. Krabi will still hold a special place in the hearts of such Malaysian climbers.

However if you are in a mixed crowd (climbers and non climbers) and want a more relaxed atmosphere and to engage in hikes, and a bit of climbing and canoeing, island hoping and just taking in some sun, you could head down to Catba. The crowds are thinner and the absence of thousands of climbers as is the case with Krabi during peak season will enhance the beauty of the islands. The downside is the length of time to get there, and the subsequent additional length of vacation to take, which in Malaysia may be a problem.

I think i will definitely return to Catba for a holiday, or as a part of a larger longer holiday around the region. But I am unlikely to return just for climbing alone, at least not at present. With the growing number of routes in the area (60 new routes a year or more) and perhaps the improving ease of travel to Catba, perhaps to a nearer airport, maybe the island will be a more compelling choice in years to come.

I shall leave a copy of SloPony’s guide book of Vietnam climbing at the Camp5 gym for whomever is interested to have a look. Dont walk away with it though. Leave it for others to read also…. and for me to take back if I go that way again.

Regards,
Zee

Slideshow below:

Am sure everyone except me has already been to the new MadMonkeyz gym at Wangsa Maju. As I have been in Vietnam for a holiday, I was unable to attend their opening ceremony and still have yet to visit them. So all my knowledge of the place is from their website.

I hope climbers who have been there themselves can add to what I provide below. The website of MadMonkeyz can be found at http://www.madmonkeyzclimbing.com for more information.

…. I’ve just spent the last half hour typing something about this gym based on what I have read about it on but a [...]]]>

Am sure everyone except me has already been to the new MadMonkeyz gym at Wangsa Maju. As I have been in Vietnam for a holiday, I was unable to attend their opening ceremony and still have yet to visit them. So all my knowledge of the place is from their website.

I hope climbers who have been there themselves can add to what I provide below. The website of MadMonkeyz can be found at http://www.madmonkeyzclimbing.com for more information.

…. I’ve just spent the last half hour typing something about this gym based on what I have read about it on but a glitch in the computer has erased all my work and suddenly I dont feel compelled to rewrite it…. but I shall in brief. I cant say much anyway because I have not been there myself and I would welcome any comments from whomever has gone there to contribute their views and feelings about the gym.

From the pictures that I have seen, it looks like the gym has two levels, operating from a 3 story shoplot occupying the top two floors. The 1st floor is more for beginners and has very basic walls while the top floor has more advanced routes with lots of overhangs, and a roof.

The colours of the gym added to the pristinely clean surfaces free of black marks from climbing shoes and chalk on the holds adds to a clinical view of the gym. It looks like it belongs on the starship enterprise NC1701. It looks so clean and virgin… almost embarrassingly so. But I believe this wont last for long and as the number of visitors to this gym increases, so will its battle hardened looks reveal itself in due time, much to the relief and self pride of all.

The pictures of the lower (beginner) section shows quite sparsely populated walls. The holds are probably reserved for the more advanced walls upstairs which brandish a greater selection of routes and bouldering opportunities. In time I would guess the beginner section would see more routes created and perhaps even more advanced problems to cater to the increase in the number of regular climbers hungry for challenging routes. It would be interesting to see how fast the routes get added and how this gym evolves in the time to come.

The 2nd floor looks quite dark. This is probably due to the obstructing protrusions of the walls blocking natural light from the window. I hope that there will be adequate lighting else boudlerers will need to wear a head torch. It looks also that the 2nd floor may be quite hot and stuffy when filled with crazy testosterone pumped climbers. Please someone confirm with me that this place is fully air conditioned?

The website for MadMonkeyz is yet to be updated with more information, and so far my attempts to get more information from them has not yielded a response. I dont know whether there are showers there or whether we can buy a drink or some simple food at the gym. I am even unsure of where the gym is. The map below provided from MadMonkeyz is lacking some landmarks on the MRR2 highway. I am really unsure where on the MRR2 highway the turnoff is. Looks like you need to be pretty familiar with Wangsa Maju to find this gym with that map… and since I am not familiar, I cant find it.

I hope to make a trip soon to MadMonkeyz gym to find out more about this place first hand and also to find out where it is, so I can include a google map of the location to clarify its exact location at Wangsa Maju. For those who have already been to the gym and therefore have comments about it to share, please do share them here for others to see. I shall write again about my first hand experiences once first hand experiences are available.

Regards
Zee