Going Over The Edge

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday February 10, 2001

GARRY MADDOX

Even without the nitro, abseiling down a sheer cliff offers plenty of excitement.

If you've seen Vertical Limit at the cinema, you'll know how much of a thrill there is in mountain climbing while carrying a canister of explosive nitroglycerine. And how much adventurous fun there is dodging avalanches, gaping crevasses, helicopter blades, altitude sickness, suicidal guides and murderous companions.

Alas, travel operators in the Blue Mountains have been shamefully slow to offer a Vertical Limit tour. Maybe the nitroglycerine has been hard to get. So those seeking adventure have to look for simpler activities like learning how to abseil.

Abseiling is the controlled descent of a cliff on a rope. It's used in rockclimbing, caving and canyoning but is a lively activity in its own right.

And within hours of strapping on a harness, beginners are doing something that would have been terrifying previously ... no, not watching Vertical Limit again. Stepping backwards from an overhanging ledge and sliding 60 metres down a rope into a valley.

The day begins with a drive from Katoomba to a spot by the railway tracks at Mount

Victoria. After a short walk to the cliffs overlooking the Kanimbla Valley, our guide, Ben, hands out helmets and harnesses, tips ropes from backpacks and explains the basic terminology.

Throughout the day, he stresses the importance of safety. There's an alphabetical list of things to check before each descent: A for the anchors that hold the rope to the rock, B for the buckles on the harness, C for the karabiner (spelling not being the strong point of the sport) which holds the rope and D for the descender, the metallic device which feeds the rope, and E for 'elmet.

The first abseil is just three metres down a boulder. Even so, stepping backwards over the edge for the first time is a touch disconcerting. We do it once, twice, three times. Then as the day heats up, we move onto a five-metre drop, with a climb back up the rock face for fun.

The challenge mounts as the descents get longer. Even with growing confidence in equipment and technique, a sheer 20-metre cliff is a test of character first time. But once over the edge, wearing a glove now because of the friction, we find the descent is easier than it looks.

After a busy morning, lunch in the bush is a treat: fresh salad rolls and cordial with lizards wandering from the undergrowth for a feed.

Then, after a 25-metre cliff, comes the biggest descent of the day.

Here's what goes through your mind during your first 60-metre free abseil: there's the shock as you realise there's no cliff to rest your feet against (this is incredible!), then powerlessness as the rope turns you in slow circles (that farmhouse in the valley is so tiny!), your glove burns from the friction (the air's so clear), you hear a voice calling from below (no, it can't be that far to the ground!), the descent seems to go on forever (this little rope is holding me up?) ...

Then your feet touch the ground. Exhilaration and relief are dance partners in your stomach. Hey, that wasn't so bad!

The tour operators call it a "wow" day. Even without nitro, that's a fair description.

Blue Mountains Adventure Company (phone 4782 1271, Web site www.bmac.com.au) is one of a number of operators running adventure activities out of Katoomba. A one-day basic abseiling course costs $109 and a two-day advanced course $240. There are also abseiling expeditions and canyoning trips that involve descents down waterfalls. Ask about the expected number of abseils over the day, whether your time is going to be taken up with a long walk in and out of the bush, and insurance cover. More advanced courses from some operators inlude rap jumping or face-forward abseiling.