4. Long and cold winters in Canada make
the opportunities for rock climbing few
and far between. The last several years, my
girlfriend and I have jumped in our camper
and driven to the American desert. This
year we decided on a different experience
and headed to Southern Thailand.
The more you research climbing in
Thailand, the more it sounds like paradise.
From beautiful beaches and warm tempera-
tures to short approaches and an abundance
of limestone cliffs. As a climber, what
more could you want? It’s for these reasons
climbers travel to areas like Ton Sai in
Southwest Thailand. For some, it is a yearly
pilgrimage and for others it is a month-long
stop on their Southeast Asia climbing tour.
As we found out, it is a harder to experience
paradise when everyone else is crowding in
with the same hopes and expectations.
Maybe being a weekday climber in the
Canadian Rockies is the reason I have had
so many days over the past several years
without running into another person, let
alone another climbing party, but that
certainly was not the case in Ton Sai. The
area has a reputation for being one of the
best climbing locations in the world and
rightfully so, but it makes it one of the
busiest climbing destinations you’ll ever
visit. After a little research, we found a few
amazing places to climb away from the
crowds. If you’re travelling to Thailand this
winter, and I think that everyone should
visit once, here are some lesser-known
crags that are close to Ton Sai we explored
and that others might prefer, too.
The Keep is one of the farthest crags
from the groups climbing on the beach
in Ton Sai. This may be one of the rea-
sons it is also one of the quieter crags.
Located approximately 45 minutes to an
hour walk from Ton Sai, The Keep is
home to some of the best 5.11 climbs in
the area. Approaching The Keep is slightly
adventurous, at least compared to walking
across the beach. There is a slot that you
have to shimmy across and down-climb
before reaching the base of the routes and
the approach times can vary depending
on if you are approaching in flip flops or
approach shoes. Situated high above the
water with views across East Railey, The
Keep is not a beginner’s crag, but certainly
not too difficult compared to some of the
other walls in the area. We climbed on
a variety of steep-to-overhanging climbs
on high-quality rock, mostly in the 5.11
range. Another great thing about The Keep,
besides no lineups, is that the routes do not
feel polished like many of the other climbs.
If you are not climbing multi-pitch routes
We climbed
on a variety
of steep-to-
overhanging
climbs on high-
quality rock,
mostly in the
5.11 range.
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6. while visiting Ton Sai, then The Keep is
one of the best bets for views and possibly
a breeze, too
We found an even quieter area called
Koh Lao Liang, which is another desti-
nation I recommend checking out. It is
exactly what I wanted Thailand to be,
basically my own private island in the
Andaman Sea with a pristine beach and
one-minute approach times. Located in
the Phetra National Marine Park, Koh
Lao Liang is a set of two islands about
an hour from the mainland. The smaller
of the two islands is where the climbing
has been developed and is an all-inclusive
resort that is slightly more expensive than
some accommodations in Thailand, but the
experience of visiting Lao Liang is worth it.
There are 30 tents on the island that sleep
two, along with staff for the resort. Every
morning, I would wake up for sunrise and
was usually the only person on the beach.
The climbing on the island was some
of the best that we explored in Thailand.
There is something for everyone up to
hard 5.12. The climbs were only a few
The Crags
of Thailand
Ton Sai: Located in Thailand’s southwest-
ern province of Krabi, this is the original
Thai rock climbing must-visit zone offering
routes of world-class quality for both begin-
ners and experienced climbers.
Ao Nang: Located in the Chong Pli district,
the area has a wide range of routes from
5.8 to 5.13. It is considered Thailand’s new-
est and most exciting crag.
Koh Lao Liang: Lao Liang Islands are
rarely visited twin islands made of lime-
stone that rise 80 metres out the Andaman
Sea. It’s a great place to get away from the
crowds and has fun deep-water soloing.
Koh Yao Noi: A pair of large islands in the
middle of Phang Nga Bay few people visit.
There is plenty of potential for new routes.
Koh Phi Phi: The birthplace of rock climb-
ing in Thailand where there are over 100
popular classics.
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8. feature
steps from our tent on the beach. The Bay
was the closest wall to our tent and was
less than a one-minute approach. With so
many climbs to play on, we found the best
routes were between 5.10c to 5.12c. Farther
down the beach at Ocean Wall are more
great routes. We climbed, shirts off, on
steep 3d tufa roofs on grades from 5.10 to
5.12c. There are several multi-pitch climbs
on the island, but many of them require
a 70-metre rope for descent. The main
attraction of Lao Liang was Red Wall with
its fun and pumpy climbing. One of our
favourite routes was The Golden Triangle
5.11c, which can only be climbed with a low
tide, as we found the hard way.
The two-pitch House of the Rising Sun
is not to be missed. The exciting 5.10d ends
below the top, but we took some advice
and continued up and exited through a
hole in the wall to the jungle top out. One
of the coolest finishes I’ve ever done. If
you plan to visit, then research bird’s nest
soup collectors and learn a little about this
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9. lucrative activity, which is located on the
opposite side of the island. I was glad we
checked it out.
Another great place we visited was
Chong Phli. There are lots of routes, usu-
ally few climbers and the access is easy.
Development here has only been going
on for a few years and the modern routes
are better equipped than other Thailand
climbs. The bolts on hundreds of the sea-
side routes in Thailand suffer from cor-
rosion and the answer has been titanium
bolts, which were installed from the start
at Chong Phli. Some climbers commute
from Ton Sai on a longtail boat and then
rent scooters for the day. We stayed at Ao
Nang, which is near the climbing and offers
comfortable bungalows. The crag goes into
the sun somewhere between 12:30 and 2:30
in the afternoon. We climbed Buzzsaw
5.10d and Seesaw 5.11a, which had a dif-
ferent style of climbing on less incut holds
that were not as positive as others in the
area. On our rest days, we explored the
local area. We visited Krabi and the giant
staircase known as Tiger Temple.
Thailand lived up to its reputation as
being a busy place full of climbers. With
a little extra effort, we managed to escape
the crowded climbs and find quiet crags. If
you’re like me and are used to climbing in
peace, then don’t stay away from Thailand
because of its crowded walls, visit for its
secluded and remote climbs that will leave
you wanting more.
Tim Banfield is a climber and photographer
based in Calgary.
One of our
favourite routes
was The Golden
Triangle 5.11c,
which can only be
climbed with a low
tide, as we found
the hard way.
The Thaitanium
Bolting Project
The Thaitanium Project is a non-profit effort
dedicated to providing and installing tita-
nium climbing bolts throughout Thailand.
Due to a rare convergence of environmen-
tal conditions and minerals contained within
the rock itself, Thailand’s existing bolts
have experienced accelerated metal fatigue
and corrosion, leading to unsafe climbing
conditions and a substantial increase in the
risk associated with climbing many of the
popular routes. Visit thaitaniumproject.com
to donate.
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