Abseiling, or rappelling is an adventure sport that involves a controlled descent off a vertical drop, such as a rock face, using a rope.
When I first heard about it many, many years ago, I was dumbfounded. Why would anyone do that and consider it a sport? Climbing a hill or a mountain makes sense because you achieve something in the end, which is to reach the peak. Plus, you get to work up a sweat and enjoy the view while you're up there. But why would anyone enjoy going down a cliff? On a rope no less, as if you're trying to rescue someone from a burning building. I mean, what's the whole point?
But when something is called an adventure sport, it becomes something that I have to try. Whether or not I will like it, that's for me to find out. Besides, it didn't seem like it required much skill or strength, or so I thought.
In April 2018, I joined a jungle-trekking and abseiling trip organized by the MadMonkeyz Climbing Gym. This was the same gym where I tried wall-climbing a few years ago. The fee for the abseiling trip was RM68, inclusive of equipment rental.
We met up at the gym early in the morning, and carpooled to Sungai Pisang. Most of the other participants were regulars at the gym, so they already knew each other. I was the only one who came alone. At the carpark near the trailhead, we were given a helmet and a harness that would later be attached to the abseil rope. Each of us was assigned a hiking partner, to look out for each other on the trail. My partner was a 50-ish-year-old guy, but he was so much faster than me, I almost had to run to catch up, so in the end he let me lead. The hike to the waterfall took less than an hour.
We then hiked a little further to get to the top of the waterfall, where we were given some time to rest, while the crew did the setting up. Some of us took the opportunity to cool off in the water. I was too busy checking my legs to make sure there were no leeches (that's the part about hiking that I hate the most).
When they were done, the team leader demonstrated to us the basics of abseiling, and the safety features. Basically, to abseil, all you have to do is to lean back on your harness with your legs hip-width apart or wider against the rock, and let your weight slowly lower you down. But you must remember not to lean too far back or your legs might go over your head and you would be hanging upside down. The rope is attached to your harness using a carabiner, and you will use both hands to hold on to the rope--one hand in front of you and the other behind your back, at waist level. You control your speed with the hand behind you. This hand has to hold on to the rope at all times, releasing slowly as you go down, but never letting go. Letting go means plunging to an early death.
(Note that there are several abseiling techniques out there, so different instructors might teach different techniques).
We then hiked a little further to get to the top of the waterfall, where we were given some time to rest, while the crew did the setting up. Some of us took the opportunity to cool off in the water. I was too busy checking my legs to make sure there were no leeches (that's the part about hiking that I hate the most).
When they were done, the team leader demonstrated to us the basics of abseiling, and the safety features. Basically, to abseil, all you have to do is to lean back on your harness with your legs hip-width apart or wider against the rock, and let your weight slowly lower you down. But you must remember not to lean too far back or your legs might go over your head and you would be hanging upside down. The rope is attached to your harness using a carabiner, and you will use both hands to hold on to the rope--one hand in front of you and the other behind your back, at waist level. You control your speed with the hand behind you. This hand has to hold on to the rope at all times, releasing slowly as you go down, but never letting go. Letting go means plunging to an early death.
(Note that there are several abseiling techniques out there, so different instructors might teach different techniques).
The crew had set up two routes, each one with its pros and cons. The first one had a longer rope, which reached the water below, but the route was a little trickier because of tree roots. You had to be careful where you placed your feet lest they get stuck.
The second route was slightly easier, because you only had to rappel down the smooth rock surface. It had almost zero obstacles, but its proximity to the waterfall made it more slippery, and the rope was several feet shorter, which meant it didn't reach all the way to the bottom. You were going to have to let go of the rope and free fall into the water.
There was one girl in the group who was as scared as I was, because we were both terrified of heights. Strange, the waterfall didn't look so high when we saw it from below, but now standing at the top, we were seriously considering backing out. But since we had already paid, we decided to go through with it. We both chose the first route. There were crew members at each point to help and guide us along the way: two of them at the top, one of them waiting on a ledge somewhere in the middle of the rocks, and two more at the bottom.
I wish I could say it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but it was. The technique per se wasn't difficult--it was pretty straight-forward, even for non-climbers. And I was right in thinking that it didn't require much strength. But my fear was making it a lot harder than it should be. The sound of the waterfall roaring in my ears and the water splashing into my eyes weren't helping at all. I slipped once, banging my shoulder against the rocks, but managed to regain balance quickly. I ended up trying both routes after being egged on by the others.
After that, we stopped for lunch. I could climb back up and repeat as many times as I wanted, but no thanks. Although I don't think it was supposed to be tiring, I was totally knackered by the end of it. My arms, my legs, my lungs, my face and my heart--basically my whole body ached, because I was breathing hard and grimacing and screaming inwardly and holding on too tightly to the rope the entire time. What could have been done in two or three minutes by the experts took me about 20, maybe even longer. I asked one of the participants to take photos and videos of me from below. Poor girl had to wait an eternity for me to finally complete my descent.
There was one girl in the group who was as scared as I was, because we were both terrified of heights. Strange, the waterfall didn't look so high when we saw it from below, but now standing at the top, we were seriously considering backing out. But since we had already paid, we decided to go through with it. We both chose the first route. There were crew members at each point to help and guide us along the way: two of them at the top, one of them waiting on a ledge somewhere in the middle of the rocks, and two more at the bottom.
 |
| Faking courage |
 |
| On the second route, right next to the waterfall |
After that, we stopped for lunch. I could climb back up and repeat as many times as I wanted, but no thanks. Although I don't think it was supposed to be tiring, I was totally knackered by the end of it. My arms, my legs, my lungs, my face and my heart--basically my whole body ached, because I was breathing hard and grimacing and screaming inwardly and holding on too tightly to the rope the entire time. What could have been done in two or three minutes by the experts took me about 20, maybe even longer. I asked one of the participants to take photos and videos of me from below. Poor girl had to wait an eternity for me to finally complete my descent.
