Climbing in Southern Thailand: The Raining season has started…

Climbing in Southern Thailand represents for many climbers the perfect match to escape from cold winters, climb along enchanting coastlines and enjoy water activity such snorkeling and diving.

Climbing in Railay Beach in particular it’s probably the perfect match for all those who want to have a proper nice exotic holiday with all the comfort such nice accommodation and a variety of food and at the same time do not renounce to climb the whole day moving from a crag to another within walking distance.

The best season for Climbing in Southern Thailand is surely from November to April that is officially the dry season and the possibilities of rainfalls are very scarce.

On the other side this period of the year is generally characterized by higher prices and terribly crowded crags, in particular for climbers leading below 7a grades.

Raining season officially starts in May and last till October. This is probably not the best period to plan a Climbing Trip in Southern Thailand however it doesn’t necessary mean that you will be stuck under the rain for the whole day.

During the last month I went to climb in Koh Phi Phi during the weekend and I got one full day of sunshine and one half day of rain while the very last week I went to climb in Railay Beach for 4 days and we got only one afternoon of heavy rain that didn't allow us to climb at all, and one morning of on/off light rain that didn't really bother us.

Obviously considering that I am based in Phuket this is not a big deal for me, however I am conscious that if you are travelling from oversea having too many days of rain might piss you off.

Nevertheless, if you plan to stay no less than a week at the same spot you can be sure that the weather will not affect your holidays that much.

Koh Phi Phi, Tonsai, Railay and Ao Nang offer valid alternative to fill in the raining days and easily get ready to climb as soon as the rains stop. On the other hand, if you plan a Climbing Trip in Koh Yao Noi be aware that the road condition might be critic. In this case I suggest you to reach the spot by long tail boat.

All in all do not forget to check the Thai Meteorological Department and always have a poncho in your climbing bag.

Thanh Ha on the first pitch of The Lord of the Thais 6a+, Thaiwand Wall, Railay East

Eric on Scenic Bulimic, 6a - Tonsai Tower, Koh Phi Phi

Riccardo on his on-sight attempt of Up to You, 7b at Phra Nang Cave, Phra Nang Beach Railay

Supranee May on Pai Noon Mai, 5c - Tonsai Tower, Koh Phi Phi

Climbing in Railay: back to the Mecca…

I came back from Railay yesterday evening. My hands are painful, my arms are still pumped but if I close my eyes I can clearly visualize all the movements of those amazing lines and be ready to climb them again straight away!

I arrived in Tonsai beach on Wednesday afternoon to join my friends Caroline, Ben and Trang coming directly from Vietnam, members of the well-known VietClimb community and we basically climbed like crazy every day from the morning till the evening.

We found accommodation at Railay Garden View Resort on Railay East, a very nice bungalows complex immerse in a nice garden far from the noisy bars. Price was reasonable 600baht/night but make sure you book in advance.

We sent routes all around Fire Wall, Wee’s Present Wall, Escher Wall, Diamond Cave, Pranang Beach, 123 Wall and Muai Thai Wall…even though in my previous post I discouraged these last two crags, I must admit that in fact those two walls have very nice lines! Fortunately not so many climbing schools were operating due to the low season.

Among all the beautiful lines we climbed I would like to suggest:

• Muai Thai – 6b+ at Muai Thai Wall, the first route of the crag
• Ling Rong Hei (Monkey Crying) – 6b+ at Wee’s Present Wall, a beautiful line with a surprise at the end
• Best Route in Minnesota – 6c at Escher World, an infinite vertical black wall inside the cave
• Don’t Grab the Krabi – 7a+ at Escher World, a short line with a violent boulder on the last 4 meters
• Don’t buy toys – 7a+ at Pranang Beach, an overhanging tufa ending on a flat micro feet session. 

By the way do not miss the very nice hike from Thaiwand wall to Escher Wall passing through the cave climbing Twenty Kilos of Steel! Bring a torch and enjoy the priceless view!

 Riccardo clipping before the crux of Don’t Grab the Krabi – 7a+ Escher World, Railay West

Ben cleaning Best Route in Minnesota – 6c at Escher World, Railay West

Priceless view of Railay West and Tonsai Beach from the top of Twenty Kilos of Steel at Thaiwand Wall

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