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FT wrote: Any climbing resources specific to Hyd?
neatFT wrote:This is a quick summary of what I found on climbing in Hyd, while I was there for a few weeks.
Hyderabad, has limited visible climbing culture. There are two walls publicly available (as far as CAD and others could inform me on).
One is located at the Imax theatre on Necklace road. This one has two routes. Cost is Rs. 25 per climb. The first route is for kids. The second route is about 5.6/7 in difficulty, until it reaches the incline. Then half way through the incline, difficulty is kicked up a few notches to 5.8+/5.9, requiring a serious dyno move to reach for the next set of holds. The objective here is to challenge folks, not to necessarily make climbing fun. Personally, wasn't too much fun of a workout. I climbed half a dozen times, never finishing the dyno move. The owner of this wall, Rishi Charan Singh organizes outdoor climbing sessions, mostly for beginners, but none were in progress while I was in Hyd.
The next wall is at Runway 9, a primarily go-carting place, about 9 km from Paradise in Sec'bad. There primarily two routes, both of them under 5.7+. After climbing up and climbing back down, I found the routine boring. So I climbed diagonally, which provided for some good workout. The charges here are Rs. 20 to enter the complex, and Rs. 40 per climb. Rather steep for the quality of climbs.
But the real treat for a climber in Hyderabad is the boulder filled landscape and the rock formations. Hyderabad is a boulderer's Mecca. Located on a plateau, it has some of the world's most interesting rock formations. On the last weekend, i visited the boulders around Gunrock Enclave in Tirumalagiri and did some bouldering, alone. Not really safe, so after about an hour of scratches and bruises navigating the shrubbery around the boulders, I gave up, also partly of fear of getting into a stupid situation.
With bouldering in Hyderabad, one has to be wary of a peculiar challenge in Hyderabad.
If the boulder summit is accessible by means of walking to the top, and closer to human habitations, then more often than not, your reach to the summit will have to be followed by carefully chosen spot on the top with certainty that the top is not despoiled by excreta of a previous summiteer. Otherwise, as a friend of mine puts it, what will follow is a resounding ‘PACCHAK!!’
FT wrote:Another quick addition to the above.
Mumbai has far more vibrant climbing culture. My guess would be that there are between 30-50 serious climbers in Mumbai alone (based on what I saw visibly and chatter on the web.)
There's a really good climbing wall in Mumbai. Arun Samant Climbing Wall at Nandadeep Highschool, Lane No.4, Jaiprakash Nagar, Goregaon (E). It's really close walking distance from the Goregaon station. There's a monthly fees of about Rs. 300 or Rs. 30 per day. More details can be found at http://girivihar.tripod.com/.
The wall itself is in the open, so day time climbing can be difficult (the wall would be heated up by exposure to sun). In any case, the wall is open from 6 pm (Indian Standard Time). The guys running this place are really nice, and will provide for harnesses and chalk bag. All you need would be your own shoes.
The surface is concrete, so your shoes (and ur knees) will take a lot of wear and tear. The holds are tenuous at times, so watch out for that.
There are two faces to the wall, one with easier set of climbs (5.6 thru 5.7+ or 5.. The other face has serious undercling (and climbs could rate between 5.8 and 5.9/10 possibly). The wall also has a chimney and chute, so making up for potentially interesting climbs.
Height of the wall, my guess is about 35-40 feet.
The guys I met at the wall get out and climb outside pretty often. Seems like there are plenty of previously explored routes and climbs around Mumbai, and potential for many more to be explored. Pity I was in Mumbai for only two days.
As for the gear, there seem to be couple of suppliers. One of who I visited and found the gear to be of decent quality. AVI Industries. Ravi Kamath, the owner was helpful. He apparently sells in quite a few other cities (including Bangalore.) You could contact him through his website http://www.aviindustries.com/. This guy is located in a non-descript shop off a bylane outside of the Matunga station.
FT wrote:If tempted, you could always explore resources online like rockclimbing.com, etc, figure out the basic techniques and pursue with friends in and around Hyd.
Hey, mine is a passion. Along with a passion for Hyd. Anything I could do to bring the two together...
Bimbette wrote:
Hi,
I am not a 'climber' but on my last trip to Mumbai I did the climb at Hiranandani.
I don't know how many people have been there and its probably child's play for the real climbers but I enjoyed myself, considering I had never 'climbed' before.
I don't remember how tall the wall was but I do remember it was an arduous task, defying gravity! . I have to confess it was well worth my time !
Adventure sports challenge the limits of human endurance and I'm glad I went for this one.
Peter Camenzind wrote:
.. Hiranandani!!! my office is there only... . I think u did climb at " Go Carting area(down the hill) ... right..?? I usually go there at week-end evenings. But never thought of climbing... because there i see kids climbing...
Diyanat wrote:Hyderabad now has a active climbing community of about 100 climbers with 30 of them fairly experienced at both indoor and outdoor climbing.
The Climbing events are conducted by the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club a Not for Profit Organization that promotes Adventure in Hyderabad.
Facilities include indoor climbing at latitudes gym and outdoor climbing at the numerous rocks around Hyderabad. The club provides training, rock climbing Equipment, Boudlering Shoes of all Sizes and a supportive group.
join them at http://www.ghac.in
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