Rock Climbing in Laos

The past two days, Nolan and I have veered slightly off the beaten path in our rock climbing endeavors.  After getting information about where the crags were and how to get there, we prepared for the next day.  We rented bikes from a sweet old man as well as some fruit.

At 8am, we set off down the main road 2km out of town and then turned off on a dirt road.  At the end of the road, we came to the river and a very wobbly looking bamboo bridge.  According to our hotel owner's directions, we had to cross this rickety structure.  We walked our bikes one after the other, treading lightly on the slats of bamboo placed on top of thin logs.  With a sigh of relief, we reached the end and headed down the dirt path into a small village of thatched huts.  Women and children sat on the stairs and one woman came down and stopped Nolan to pay for the bridge toll.  We paid and continued on our merry way through farm fields following the most clear path...which led us into someone's home.  Chickens roamed the grounds, a faithful guard dog yelped at our presence and then stepped quietly out of our way.  Realizing we were not on the right path, we turned our bikes around quiet as mice, and headed back a barely visible path amidst cows, bumping along the uneven ground on bikes ill-equipped for the terrain.  Eventually, we entered a clearing with limestone walls and an overhanging roof with stalactites hanging everywhere.  Since we hadn't yet discovered the moderate wall (we did at the end of the day!), we climbed up overhanging routes.

Nolans notes on the routes... The stone is limestone and of excellent quality. Its is about a 45 degree angle with huge, fat stalactites that hang down 2-4 feet from the ceiling. It looks kind of like the lead roof at MPHC... The bolting was done about 5 years ago by excitable Germans. The hardest route I lead was a 5.10C.  

Despite the mosquitoes buzzing around our ankles, it was a beautiful, quiet setting by the river, with kids running around climbing trees (or watching us, they were clearly very bored!)!  A couple more days here, then we're off to Luang Prabang.