The heart of the Wadi Rum massif offers the best of traditional rock climbing and “Bedouin Routes” of all calibers.
UM RASHID NORTH
Mohammed Bouazizi our Brother (NE)
200m – 5 pitches + scrambling – 5c – D. Afternoon shade.
W.Colonna & party – 11/2012
Nice climb for a long afternoon, not too difficult, with only one harder pitch (5c), but on solid rock. This 5c crux, easier than it looks at first, is well protectable with smaller pro.
Approach & route: by 4WD, drive directly to the base of the face after having passed the tourist sight of the Moving Sands (on the way to the Rock Inscriptions of Annafishiya).
The start, obvious, goes up unprotect-able slabs with holes (5b). The route traverses then left towards a black wall (4b). Do not climb the obvious corner that limits the wall on the left (VI+, Italian harder variation named Behend). Instead, climb straight up on this black wall (5c, 15m) and end up on easier ground with good belays. The resulting oblique crack leads to the exit of this series of attractive slabs (4c, 4a/b). Hike straight up to the arête, then scramble up left and behind to the summit boulders.
Descent: scramble down along a well cairned Bedouin Route starting from the summit crest, to the south. By the East side of the mountain reach the big North-South valley below. Once in the sand walk back to the start, going up left to the northern end of the valley, which is closed by a huge sand dune on the opposite North facing side. Good slide!
JEBEL KHAZALI – EAST SIDE (Wadi Khush Khashah)
Purple Haze (E)
300m – 10 pitches – 5c – D+. Afternoon shade.
For details – see Tony Howard’s Guidebook
JEBEL KHAZALI – NORTH SIDE
Bedouin Route “Al Lassik”(N & NE)
300m – scrambling + 5/6 pitches – 5b – D-. Early afternoon shade.
Climbing up Al Lassik and down Sabbah’s Route is one of the best possible combinations on Jebel Khazali, if not in the entire massif.
Well experienced in this type of terrain, Al Lassik will offer you the fastest option to reach the top. With much climbing, mostly easy but not always – the rope is used several times – essentially in the very smart crack of the 5b crux, and for the only anavoidable abseil (20 m) on the descent to Sabbah’s Route.
A reduced rack is sufficient, i. e. 7/8 cams and a handful of nuts, with slings.
A 40/45 meter single rope is all you need.
Approach: on 4WD and obvious, via the very first km of Ghôr Ajram by heading to the foot of the North side of Jebel Khazali, on the Northeast flank. A few meters by foot on deep sand can avoid silting up…. You enter the hidden corridor that constitutes the route (see photo), by climbing up from the left the bastion that hinders its access. The rope is recommended for the last meters.
The route runs entirely up a long hidden diagonal corridor-canyon, which is easy to guess – you see it well from a distance (and on the photo).
It is sometimes ascended on the left, sometimes on the right, never very easy, with small passages here and there, some of which offer real boulder passages (4c max) where it is better to be protected.
At the top left of the canyon, when it becomes flat, you get out of it on the upstream side, through a very clean-cut corner crack that you reach by rather compact slabs – so on the right in the direction of arrival.
A glue-in ring at the top allows a good belay, but also a rappel station in case the route is reversed.
To be continued….
Laisser un commentaire