Each time we grow another year older, we experience a renewed sense of our own mortality, yet we still find ourselves drawn to activities with an element of risk (be it risk of a broken bone or more superficial damage to our dignity). So our interest was piqued when we heard of Gulf for Good’s charity climb to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, scheduled to take place at the end of July. It’s described as a demanding test of fitness, but ‘achievable by anyone in good health, willing to train for a minimum of three months to build fitness and stamina’.
Though not a technical climb, there are challenging sections, and trekking at a high altitude is tough going. Gulf for Good runs its own free training sessions, but what if you just want to get a feel for what you could be up against? An indoor climbing lesson at Pharaohs’ Club in Wafi Pyramids in Dubai is not a bad way to go – particularly when the instructors include Dhyan Rai, a highly qualified pro who has spent years climbing the Himalayas in his native Nepal, including as a local sherpa mountaineering guide on the formidable Mount Everest. And if you feel as though you’re in need of more training, you can always work towards one of the charity’s next challenges – the Transylvanian Trek in Romania in August, or The Road to Mandalay Challenge in Myanmar in November.
When we arrived at the Pharaohs’ Club climbing wall, Dhyan greeted us warmly and instructed us to slip into a pair of climbing shoes from the box, telling us they should feel tight, and our toes slightly squashed to give us a better grip on the wall. We were then shoehorned into a harness, and it was time to learn how to tie an ‘8’ knot in the rope, which was threaded through the loop on our front, before being made into a double figure ‘8’.
First, we attempted the easiest wall, a straight vertical ascent with large, liberally scattered grips in three different colours. Unless you count a school trip to a drab activity centre in the south of England 14 years ago, and a worrying (at least for grandparents) penchant for finding the quickest route to the tops of trees during school holidays, this was our first attempt at climbing.
We made sure to follow Dhyan’s advice and used our legs to push ourselves up, rather than depending on our hands and arms to pull. After a few steps, the movements seem to trigger some childhood muscle memory, and we flew up the wall. We abseiled down, elated, bounding smoothly off the wall – even over-estimating the distance in the final drop and landing squarely on our behind couldn’t overshadow our small feeling of triumph.
The next wall was harder, with smaller grips spread further apart. It was a slower ascent, and we had to rely on our toes to cling to smaller protrusions and hoist ourselves up. Eventually, we got to the top and were ready to bound down again.
Dhyan told us we were doing well and, bolstered by his approval, we felt ready for the next challenge. We headed back to the first wall, but we were told to only use grips of two colours for our climb. It was tougher in parts, particularly where our legs were required to reach higher and push harder to make up the difference in gaps. Over on the second wall, where the same challenge was presented, it was trickier still, and we felt as though we were clinging on for dear life to pieces the size of Jenga blocks. We weren’t, of course, because we were attached to a harness and rope, which Dhyan was holding fast below, but when we slipped and found ourselves hanging by our fingers near the top, we felt a huge surge of adrenaline and a tensing of every muscle.
It wasn’t long before the 60 minutes was up, and we were exhausted. It’s little wonder these treks and climbs at high altitude require so much training – it’s tough just a couple feet above sea level. Nevertheless, after a quick inspection, we are pleased to report that our limbs and dignity remain intact following our latest vertiginous escapade. For now, anyway.
Climbing lessons are Dhs50 for members, Dhs62 for non-members per session. Public climbing without an instructor (for experienced climbers) Dhs40 per session. Pharaohs’ Club, Wafi Pyramids, Dubai, www.pharaohsclub.ae (04 324 0000). To find out more about Gulf for Good’s challenges, visit www.gulf4good.org.
Two more to try: climbing walls
The Club
The wall offers an excellent full body workout for adults who may use the colour coded routes of varying difficulty ratings to set a course. Junior members aged from four years old can also enjoy negotiating the wall. The Club, Mina Saadiyat (02 673 1111).
Wadi Adventure Air Park
This course includes a climbing wall, high ropes course, zip line and a 14 meter falling swing Fly across the channels and lakes by zip line.
Check the website for prices, www.wadiadventure.ae (03 781 8422).
