------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is about 9:00 am on a pleasant Sunday morning. Far from the bustle of Bangalore’s morning traffic, a small group of people from the Chennai Trekking Club is huddled near a rock in Ramagiri hills, Ramanagaram. They are all scratched up as they have trekked for two hours through thorny woods the previous evening to camp out right next to the rocks just so they could climb at first light. We have been climbing for two hours now. I am on my third climb and about two thirds of the way up on a nice slab line. I feel my fingers burn as I struggle to hold on to a tiny crimper while I try to find the next foot hold. I am at my limit as I fight every instinct in my body and mind to shout the words “Tension” and “Ready to lower”. These words would instantaneously end my pain as Nagu, my belayer and national speed climbing champion would take the cue and lower me down. Instead I wince through the pain, lock my fingers securely to the crimper and hold on.
This was slowly shaping out to be an adventure and fun filled weekend. We had gone to Anthargange the previous day, a hilly area near Bangalore with an infinity of unexplored boulders. As we made our way through the rocks and boulders, Kamesh, our guide from Mars Adventures and a climbing coach for the South Zone, picked routes which exposed us to basic climbing techniques like high stepping, mantle, chimney, down climb and so on. Along the way, we also found some VB bouldering problems to work on, which was very refreshing. Bouldering is a style of rock climbing done without ropes and typically limited to short heights so that a fall would not result in serious injury. It is rated from V0 to V16 with VB climbs representing problems much simpler than V0.
Guide giving "Beta" to Climber at Anthargange
Fast forward to here and now. By now, the world around me has faded away. I don’t even notice if there are climbers on other lines climbing beside me. All that matters now is that next move. Reading my predicament, Nagu gives me the much needed beta – a high step for a hand foot match and a push off to get to the next crimper. I summon all my strength and as I make the move, I yell out a grunt and give it all I’ve got. I make it to the next hold. That last move has put me past the limit of exhaustion. A part of me wants me to give up now – “after all, there is no shame…you gave it all you had and that’s what’s really important” but another part of me wants to persevere on and reach the anchor. As this debate rages on, I hear Nagu shout “allez”. Allez, is the French word for “go”. Frequently used in climbing parlance, it encourages climbers to push on. Somehow, as though that word had been the key to unlock hidden reserves of strength, I suddenly feel energized by hearing it. The pain melts away. I am not in conflict any more. I continue on to finish the last couple of moves, touch the anchor, elated at having flashed the climb and then shout out the words – “Ready to lower”.
Sanjay at the Anchor of an Un-named Climb (5.6 or 5.7) in Ramanagaram
Rock climbing is a sport in which people climb up or across rock formations with the goal of topping out or completing a specific route or line. It is likely that man has been climbing rocks ever since he set foot on earth, initially perhaps driven by necessity. There is evidence of men climbing rocks painted in Chinese watercolors from 400 B.C. There are also ruins from several cliff dwelling civilizations from around 1300 A.D., mostly located in the area where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet. Some shelters, built by descendents of Anasazi Indians, were dug out directly in the cliff faces, accessible only by ladders or steps cut into the rock. Perhaps it is no surprise then that throughout history we find many illustrations of climbing. For example, invading armies frequently used climbing techniques to traverse mountains, scale castles and siege fortresses. As a sport however, climbing’s roots go back to the Victorian era of the 1800’s, when the study of nature and the exploration of the natural world became popular. In 1869, the famed naturalist John Muir made a free solo ascent of Mt. Dana and Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite National Park, California). In August 2008, my friend Anand and I spent a few days camping and hiking in Tuolumne Meadows. It was a very rewarding experience. After a visit to Mt. Dana and Cathedral Lake, we could not agree more with Muir’s words about Yosemite – “no temples made with hands can compare with Yosemite…the grandest of all special temples of Nature”. It was therefore with jubilation that I went back to Yosemite a couple of months later, to hike up Half Dome, first climbed with the aid of bolts by George Anderson, in 1875.
Half Dome - Yosemite National Park, California
Until 1886 climbing was still considered to be a part of mountaineering. It is regarded by some that W.P.Haskett-Smith’s 1886 solo ascent of Napes Needle, on Great Gable, in the U.K. gave birth to Rock Climbing as an independent sport. Modern climbing however traces its roots back to the fifties. Walter Bonatti’s 1955 solo first ascent of a new route on the southwest pillar of the Aiguille de Dru, in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps, is to date considered a classic climb. Then in 1958, history was made when Warren Harding and team aid climbed the 3,000 foot nose of the famous El Capitan, also in Yosemite National Park. Then came the likes of Royal Robins, Chuck Pratt, Tom Frost, Yvon Chouinard, Pete Cleveland and John Bachar and the rest of course is history. Recent notable milestones include Lynn Hill’s 1994 twenty three hour marathon free ascent of the nose of El Cap (graded 5.13), Chris Sharma’s 2001 ascent of Realization (graded 5.15a), in Ceuse, France and his most recent accomplishment – Jumbo Love (graded 5.15b), a project in Clark Mountain, California, sent in September 2008.
The 3,000 ft Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California
There is definitely a strange allure to climbing. As a sport, it transcends both the physical and the mental. It would not be incorrect to say that there is something strangely spiritual about the whole experience. Climbing, in some sense, has a parallel to meditation. When you climb, it gives you razor sharp focus. The otherwise turbulent mind becomes calm and still and you are rewarded with a rather crystalline focus and clarity. The most common question one encounters about climbing is why someone would want to go through the pain and trouble of climbing a rock or a mountain. This is a question hard to answer. Noted climber and bestselling author of Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams and Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer, says - “In climbing, either you get it or you don’t. People who climb or have the urge to climb – even vicariously – understand it. And others just can’t begin to.” Jon is probably right. If George Mallory did retort “because it is there”, when asked why he wanted to climb Everest, it is probably due to the same frustration. But these statements do little to unlock the mystery and allure that draw so many of us to this intriguing and wonderful sport. Those amongst us that are spiritually inclined will perhaps relate to what Lynn Hill says – “(Climbing) is a means of experiencing a state of consciousness where there are no distractions or expectations. This intuitive state of being is what allows me to experience moments of true freedom and harmony”. “Aham” in Sanskrit refers to the self or one’s ego. By letting go of one’s ego, it is said that one can be free from the bondage of life and death forever. Perhaps then, some of us can relate to what Chris Sharma has to say – “My ego is powerful and not necessarily working in my best interest all the time…the reason why I started climbing was because I could be free from myself".
Chris Sharma on a 5.14b/c Climb
It is now just past 10:00 am. After a wonderful climbing session, I sit down with my guides to exchange climbing beta. As we share a packet of biscuits, I cannot but help notice that climbing is such a uniting sport. When you go climbing, the barrier of client and guide goes away as do other barriers like language, religion or culture. When we root for each other with words like “allez” and “come on man”, there is a selfless purity about it. Perhaps that is why Kamesh left a regular career to promote the sport of climbing. Perhaps that is why even at great personal and financial strain, he continues to persevere on. As I abode the van for my ride back to Bangalore, I am thankful for a wonderful experience with some fabulous people and sincerely hope and pray that Kamesh’s wish to coach an Indian team to an international climbing event comes true soon.
Climbing Glossary:
Anchor: Used for setting up a top-rope climb
Belay: To secure a climber
Beta: Prior information about a route
Bouldering: Climbing performed without rope or belay; generally 10-25 ft off the ground
Chimney: A wide crack
Crimper: Small hold that accepts only finger tips
Down Climb: Downward climb instead of going up
Flash: To climb a route on the first try (with beta)
High Step: Lifting a leg up to reach a high foot hold
Mantle: A technique that uses pushing instead of pulling
Slab: Smooth low angle rock face climbed with small holds and friction
About Ramanagaram:
Located about 50 km from Bangalore, on the Bangalore Mysore highway.
Nearest City: Bangalore
Access: By road or rail
Type of Climbing: Sport/Trad; Granite rocks with varying grades (5.6 to 5.13a)
Approach: The Shanti area can be accessed through the Ramadevarabetta temple approach
When to climb: Winter months
