Outdoor Women's Alliance

Part II of the Climbing in Thailand series: Yesterday Whitney joined us to help us get packed and take off for Thailand; today she brings in her experience on the climbing of this beautiful country and what you need to know to navigate it as well as where to stay and what to do on your rest days. Have any additional tips, comments or questions? Share with us below the post!
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Before the trip I researched everything I could find about what to bring and places to stay and ultimately I think it's rather easy to plan for this trip, once you know where to start. Below are some of my suggestions for making the most of your trip to TonSai and Railay, Thailand:
Research the routes: Purchase the climbing guidebook before going and take a look at it in advance. I have a difficult time recommending only the newest guidebook, because both were useful. The newest guidebook, The Pocket Guide by Sirichai Pongsopon (which we bought once we got over there) is more up to date on route information, however the older book Thailand: A Climbing Guide by Sam Lightner Jr. has detailed information about the routes, Railay and TonSai itself. It's my first pick!

I would suggest taking a look at the routes you want to climb online to see how the grades compare to the book and also recent information on bolting.


What to bring: We had no problem getting our laundry washed for a couple of dollars while we were there, but it was still nice to have about 3 tops and 3 bottoms to alternate between for climbing. The amount of walking you do, plus the humidity (I've never sweat so much in my life) equals smelly climbing clothes. Because of the humidity, I found that if I hand-washed my climbing clothes they were never dry the next day.


We brought our own gear, which doesn't always make traveling easy, but knowing where a rope has been is a good feeling. We brought 12 draws which turned out to be enough. If you do need to rent gear, there are plenty of options.


I brought two pairs of climbing shoes. One aggressive pair and one old pair, but I only ended up using my aggressive pair. If you choose to do deep water soloing be sure to bring an older pair of shoes. Between the sand and the humidity my shoes got pretty beat up, I wouldn't recommend bringing brand new shoes.


Bring more than one pair of sandals! Chacos are great for the approach to a crag or hiking to the hidden lagoon, but Chacos in the ocean + sand =  rubbing and blisters. A comfortable pair of flip-flops are were well worth it.


Where to stay: Railay is air-conditioned and touristy and TonSai is cheap and where the climbers usually stay. We didn't book a place beforehand and had no issue finding a place in TonSai, even during the Chinese New Year. The further you walk up the hill in TonSai, the cheaper the places tend to be. We stayed at the Countryside Resort for around $25 a night, which was about as cheap as it came for a bungalow during high season. What to expect for $25? Electricity only in the evenings and morning, cold showers, and some pesky insects flying around your room at night. Who can complain when you've got your own private bungalow near the beach in beautiful Thailand for ONLY $25 a night. Where ever you stay, the two things I'd recommend is a fan (ours only worked occasionally) and a mosquito net.
How to get there: Chances are you'll be flying into Bangkok because it's cheaper. You're next options are to fly from Bangkok to Krabi or Phuket , take a train from Bangkok, or a take a bus. We went to the train station the day before we wanted to leave to buy our tickets, but due to the Chinese New Year the train was sold out. Because we didn't want to wait around in Bangkok we chose the bus instead. The bus ride was a story on its own. Even though the bus is cheap it has its downfalls, and we'll probably fly to Krabi in the future. Lonely Planet's guidebook has it categorized as one of the scams in Thailand, and Sam Lightener Jr. speaks pretty poorly about it in the climbing book. They're both right.  If you do choose to ride the bus, hold on tight and bring all of your valuables on the bus with you.

Needless to say, we went straight to the nearest internet café and booked a flight out of Krabi back to Bangkok for the way home. While a plane ticket costs around $150 per person, I didn't regret that decision at all.
On the bright side, transportation in Thailand was never hard to figure out, even the sketchy bus got us exactly where we needed to be.


About the rock: Beautiful Limestone formations everywhere! Be prepared for some of the craziest rock features you've ever seen. Some of the rock is very sharp and some a bit polished, the guidebook will be able to point you in the right direction as far as rock is concerned.
Working on endurance, pockets and pinchers would be a great way to train for this trip. Heading to your local climbing gym and playing on the overhanging wall would also benefit you.  As far as gym climbing and rock climbing go, this is the only place where the two seem comparable. The biggest difference between climbing in Thailand and anywhere else I've ever been, is how  three-dimensional the climbing is. If you get stuck on a crux move, be sure to look all around you (including behind you) for your next hold.


Everything is bolted and some routes have new bolts right next to the old bolts. The shiny bolts are not necessarily the best option, as Thailand uses Titanium glue-in bolts to help prevent rusting. Be sure to read up on this before you climb!


Ratings: At first, the ratings felt a little stiff, but as we continued climbing throughout the week we got familiar with the style of climbing, making the grades feel a bit easier. 


If you climb 5.11+ the amount of routes available to you are endless, but don't be discouraged if you don't climb that hard. I found plenty of easier routes to keep me busy. If you're not big on lead climbing at your limit (like me) look into some of the climbing classes available in the area. Every corner you take there is another climbing shop.


My favorite routes were: Groove Tube, Mai Pen Rai, Missing Snow.


Rest days: We rarely climbed an entire day because it took us a while to figure out which crags were best for us. A lot of variations go into picking a crag: how far away it is, how bad are the mosquitos, is it tide dependent, does it get sun, and so on. We found the best solution was to climb in the morning until about noon, before it gets too hot. Climbing in the evening is great too, but the mosquitos get vicious.


For one rest day I'd highly recommend taking a Thai cooking class with Mrs. Ya! The class costs about $30 plus the boat ride to and from Ao Nang, but it's worth it. Not only do you make some of the best food you've ever tasted but she gives you a cook book (worth it's weight in gold) to bring back with you.
Another fun rest day adventure is the hike to the Hidden Lagoon. The hike itself is not that far but it's steep with muddy, slippery rock (it had rained the night before, but I think it's always muddy).  One thing we didn't have time for, that I really wanted to try, was kayaking. While it's not the best activity for a rest day, it looked like a ton of fun!


Unexpected issues: I was surprised by the amount of people on Railay beach, but what I was more surprised and disappointed by was the amount of trash on TonSai beach.  If TonSai continues to do nothing about the garbage this beautiful place will not be around for long. Be sure to do your part to avoid adding to the garbage. Two things you can do to help is by bringing your own water bottle instead of buying small plastic water bottles each day, and not using styrofoam.

Whitney, a friend of ours from Colorado, recently returned from a climbing trip to Thailand. What climber doesn't dream of this? Since we couldn't fit in her bags, we asked her to give us a run-down of her tips and tricks to navigating this foreign climbing mecca. Once you've read this, all you gotta do is pack your bags and go!  She'll be covering the actual climbing on her site, so stay tuned.  Thanks for the extensive "research," Whitney! ;)


Details on our trip: Jan 16th thru Feb 2nd
Three days spent in Bangkok before heading to TonSai where we spent 11 days and then flew back to Bangkok for 2 days.


Where to stay: We decided to stay at a nicer place in Bangkok, The Siam City Hotel. It's rare finding a 4 or 5 star hotel for under $100 and we wanted to take advantage of it. Many of the backpackers stay near Khao San Road, however I would suggest somewhere near the sky train because it makes transportation EXTREMELY easy.


Before you leave for your trip: Check with your bank to see if you can do a currency exchange before you go. My bank did it for free which saves you the $3-5 or so that it cost every time you take out money at the ATM in Thailand.
Call your credit card or debit card company to make sure they know you are going out of the country, otherwise your card could get canceled for suspicious activity.
Look at reviews on sites like Trip Advisor for the best places to stay. Having a place to stay in Bangkok before you go makes one less thing to worry about when you arrive.
Get a guide-book. We used Lonely Planet and it had a ton of suggestions and words of advice on scams to look out for.


What to pack for Bangkok: What you wear is really up to you, just know that it's HOT and humid. I found that while in Bangkok, the local Thai's dress really nice and I was glad to have brought some nicer things to wear, besides just my beach and climbing clothes. If you plan to visit a temple (which you should do) you should bring clothes that cover most of your arms and legs. I brought a super thin, half sleeve shirt for temples, but a scarf or a sarong would work perfectly. Light-weight, fast drying clothing is best. Material and fit of this dress by Patagonia, would be perfect. I found my longer cotton skirts worked well but got a little sweaty.
The main thing I wished I had brought on the trip was a watch. I usually use my cell phone for time, and with out that I rarely knew what time it was; even the hotel room did not have a clock.


Must Bring: toiletries! I'm so glad I didn't forget those. It's extremely hard to find a bathroom while walking around Bangkok. Once you find one, chances are you will have to pay 5-20 baht. I rarely found a bathroom with toilet paper, soap or paper towels, so be sure to bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer!


Thai culture: I read "Very Thai Everyday Pop Culture" before going as well as doing a lot of research online. I found this book had a lot of useful things that I was glad to know before I went and actually saw it in Thailand. Seeing a man in a ski mask in 90 weather is a lot less intimidating when you have read the book first. Thai culture is fascinating, I loved all of it!


Arriving in the airport: If you get to the airport before 12 AM your best bet is to take the sky train to your destination. It's cheap and it's easy to figure out.
If you stay in a place not accessible to sky train or you arrive after midnight (like we did) there are Taxi's waiting at the airport to take you where you need to go. Make sure you have the address ready, and by-pass all the people asking you where you are going inside the airport. Go outside to the taxi lines, where a translator will take a look at the address and make sure your cab driver knows where to take you. Chances are you will pay the toll fee which is around 60 Baht. You will also need Baht to pay the driver when you arrive to where you are going.
How to get around: Seems there are no traffic rules in Thailand except that red lights mean stop, and even then it seemed optional. While walking down the street, motorcycles will hop on the sidewalks to avoid traffic and swerve between lanes. We saw plenty of babies on the back of motorcycles and scooters and cars driving in the side lanes. Needless to say, crossing the street is risky, try to avoid it.
We stuck close to the sky train after having a taxi driver tell us he understood where we wanted to go and then took us in the very opposite direction outside of the city. If you do take a taxi, make sure he turns the meter on and knows where to go. Many of them don't speak English.
The Sky trains is always your best bet, safe, air-conditioned, easy to understand and cheap.
Tuk Tuks are, I'm pretty sure, something everyone should experience. Two important things to know about them though are that they drive super fast and the entire time you're breathing in Bangkok pollution and Tuk Tuk fumes. Secondly, be sure to decide on a price before the trip, the Tuk Tuk's don't have a meter so the driver gets to decide what you pay. We took one about 3 blocks, it was terrifying and fun, and about all we could handle.
Motorcycles are another option, but we weren't brave enough to try them.


Where to eat: Meals in Bangkok are a bit intimidating at first. Be brave!  If you're not brave you'll end up spending too much money, like we did, when we tried eating lunch at our hotel. The result, we ended up with not great food and an unexpected bill of $60. Yes, we should have checked the price beforehand, but I guess we thought buffet's were only that expensive in Vegas.
That experience was all we needed to become brave and adventurous with food. Our next meal cost us a total of about .75 cents (USD), from a street vendor, in an alley, and it was delicious! We never got sick in Thailand. In fact I'm pretty sure my stomach hurt less in Thailand then it does in America (fresh food vs over processed food?). We only ate at street vendors were locals were eating and we had great results.


Allergies and Spicy food: I'm knowingly allergic to shellfish, but I've stayed away from it for over 10 years so I had no idea whether it had gotten better or worse. I brought an Epi pen and Benadryl as a safety precaution. Unless you're fluent in Thai, asking for no shellfish, or whatever, is pretty darn hard. Instead I just avoided anything I thought might have it, meaning I ate A LOT of chicken. The one food I didn't stay away from was curry, and apparently most curry's are made with shrimp paste. Even though it's a very little amount, I now know I'm not deathly allergic to shellfish. Good to know.
If you are deathly allergic to shellfish, your options are a bit limited. Another allergy that would be tricky in Thailand is peanuts, many dishes, i.e. Panaang curry, and Pad Thai use peanuts.
Is it possible to avoid spicy food in Thailand? Maybe if you order just rice. The best Thai food was usually pretty spicy. If you don't like spicy food, you can try telling them to make it less spicy, however less spicy is still pretty darn spicy. Your best bet? Suck it up, because it's delicious! ;)


Things to see: The amount of time we spent in Bangkok was not nearly enough time to give a list of must see places, but we still stumbled upon some pretty cool stuff. I was bummed to miss the weekends in Bangkok by one day, so I never got to experience the weekend markets that sound amazing.
Khao San Road was worth checking out, there are plenty of touristy markets and temples near by. Don't take any of the Tuk Tuk drivers up on their 2 Baht for anywhere you want to go scams.
Siam and Chit Lom (sky train stops) are the best areas to do some shopping and wander around Bangkok malls. Sala Daeng (sky train stop) is a fun area at night to walk around. It's very touristy and the street vendors are trying to sell you everything from knock-offs to porn and "sexy shows." Not making eye contact or just smiling, while shaking your head no, and continuing to walk seemed to work just fine.
I recommend heading to the Vertigo Bar in the Banyan Tree Hotel for a fun, get "dressed up" evening out. (Be sure to check the dress code before going.) The bar is NOT cheap, drinks will cost you about $10 each, but the views from the top of a sky scraper are amazing! Besides, how often do you find an outdoor bar on top of a sky scraper in America? We had a few glasses of wine and then choose to eat dinner somewhere a bit cheaper. I suggest arriving an hour to thirty minutes before sunset to get a good spot.
Temples: We went to whatever temple we were close to at the time. All of them are beautiful (soai). My favorites were the Suan Pakkad Palace Museum near the Siam City Hotel and the Phra Maha Mondop near the train station. Most temples are tourists friendly. If you walk through, don't forget to take your shoes off before entering and most often you can take photos of anything outside but NOT indoors.
As busy and chaotic as Bangkok is, it was really worth spending a few days in. Not only did it give me time to adjust to the time difference but Bangkok is such a cool city. Street food and night markets are something worth experiencing at least once before heading to your next destination.




You can check out Whitney on her blog: http://bradleysadventures.wordpress.com/ and on Twitter: @whitneyio

A debt of gratitude must be paid to Sarah Burke on behalf of female skiers everywhere. As the first female to compete in freeskiing, Sarah pushed the sport for over fifteen years with fearless progression. Taking her passion to the X Games committee, she fought for women freeskiers to not only compete, but be on equal ground with the men. Her successful campaign gave access to women athletes in the games and promoted a greater recognition of the same.

Today we want to pay tribute to a hero, Sarah Burke, and what she stood for. Known for her generous smile, brave athletics, and an open heart, her passing is not a closing, but an invitation for women everywhere to continue her legacy and push their abilities. We part with these warm words of remembrance from her husband, Rory Bushfield, to the Twitter community:

She's in every snowflake, every ray of sunshine, every breeze. More than ever, now and always, I #BelieveInSarah.

Sarah Burke Video Tribute 2012:

If you haven't heard of First Descents, the nonprofit organization which helps cancer patients participate in real outdoor adventure, allow us to introduce it to you. Their mission is to offer "young adult cancer fighters and survivors (ages 18-39) a free week-long outdoor adventure experience designed to enable them to climb, paddle, and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their life, and connect with others doing the same."

Why is this important? After meeting with the staff of First Descents during the Outdoor Retailer Show last month, we got a very clear vision of why this is so beneficial to cancer patients: it gives them a chance to feel normal again. It gives them a chance to face a new kind of fear, an external one, and one filled with thrills, adrenaline and ending with smiles. It gives these patients a chance to feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, achievement, and beating the unknown. And when the adventure has become a memory, they can take those same feelings and transfer them directly to facing cancer with renewed courage and determination.

Below is Janet, one of the future participants of First Descents. Torn with distress, fear and lacking assurance, a program like First Descents will give her the chance to live- truly live- through a connection with cancer patients and with the outdoors, a place that many of us go to heal spiritually and mentally. As she mentions, this is part of her "bucket list" and gives her something to look forward to. That hope and anticipation is critical to those facing the loss of their own life.



Please take some time to get familiar with First Descents, its programs, and most importantly, the stories of those who have taken part its adventures. Spread the word about Janet and her need for a donor. And  if you know a patient or survivor- or someone affected by cancer- let them know there is a place for them and their loved ones to renew themselves and give hope to their heart and others'.

SNOWBIRD REINVENTS SPEED DATING WITH VALENTINE’S DAY SINGLES LINE

SNOWBIRD, UTAH –Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is adding a twist to its singles-only line this Valentine’s Day, with a new lift line intended for singles who are not in a relationship to meet each other while high-speed dating on Peruvian Express chairlift.

“The Valentine’s singles line is a unique way of speed dating, and Snowbird is the perfect place to meet fun friends,” said Dave Fields, who proposed to his now-wife on a chairlift.

To entice singles to participate in the event, adult all-day chairlift tickets will be sold at a discounted rate of $40 on Valentine’s Day.

After Peruvian Express closes for the day, singles may then proceed to an après singles social at El Chanate, Snowbird’s Mexican restaurant, located on Level A of The Cliff Lodge. When guests mention the singles line, El Chanate will offer buy-one-get-one-free appetizers and entrees throughout the evening.

Couples are also invited to visit Snowbird on Valentine’s Day, and the resort is offering romantic dining and lodging options. Special Valentine’s Day menus will be available at The Wildflower, The Lodge Bistro and the newly remodeled Aerie. Menus may be previewed by visiting http://www.snowbird.com/events/valentinesday.html. Couples may also enjoy a Valentine’s Day retreat that includes a night at The Cliff Lodge, three treatments at The Cliff Spa with access to the scenic rooftop pool and hot tub, and Tram and lift tickets. Details can be found at http://www.snowbird.com/lodging/hotdeals.php?deal=75.