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Via Ferrata
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
It was the day I hurt my knee very badly rushing up the mountain and the only way to go without pain, was up. It was the day, trekking up another 2km to the base camp was nothing compared to walking back, down 4km with excruciating pain on a bad left knee.
It was the day sitting down getting better wasn't such a good idea anymore when the sky was blue, the clouds were playful white and there's a new way of seeing the landscape from 3800m. All you have to do is climb another 1000m to a point above Sayat Sayat and try the Via Ferrata, the newly Italian constructed metal necklace embracing the south rockface of Mount Kinabalu.
This is the view behind me, of my two handler/trainers facing east, about 1000m above the base camp on the Panar Laban Rockface with wind gushed clouds looming above King Edward Peak, on the Eastern Plateau.
Via Ferrata is an "iron trail" lined with high tensile metal cables, pins, deeply embedded metal footholds, handholds and rungs traversing the Panar Laban Rockface to a point on the Summit Trail, about 100m above Gunting Ligadan, one of the hostels at Laban Rata. This metal necklace derives the meaning for Mountain Torq which manages and runs this facility. Torq by the way, is an ancient name for Necklace.
On the Ferrata, you are safely attached on two lanyards running along the metal cable and with another safety rope (yellow rope in the photo) 4m long to your handler/trainer behind you.
It takes anything between 3 to 5 hours to traverse the route with three footbridges along the way. Beside being fit, the number one criteria is, this is no place to get over your vertigo or acrophobia. But just the place really to get a heightened sense of fun.
Suddenly walking back to base camp after the summit, is simply mundanely plain and boring. |
Roly, nivaldo, trekks, ewanshamsudin has marked this note useful
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- Roly
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 536 W: 9 N: 368]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(1714) - [2007-12-18 17:48]
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Beautiful landscape, from angle that likely few tourists get to see. Very difficult exposure here, and you did pretty well, but I wish you had better light. I wasn't aware of the mountaineering opportunities Malaysia has to offer. The rock looks like granite, is it indeed? It sure looks very tempting.
Hello Rabani,
A very nice point of view but a little dark!
Great shot, anyway!
TFS,
Nivaldo
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- trekks
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1243 W: 114 N: 1982]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(6870) - [2007-12-19 1:13]
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Shooting against the sun, Rabani, is never easy and the dark face of rock shows it. Yet, at this angle, you probably has only metering method to change that.
I read news about this new Torq facility provided, and you are already one of first posting photos on it, thanks a lot!
Your shot is at a great angle, but why the trainers looking away, only you know.
So is this a separate excursion from normal summit 'walk'? It does look challenging.
Well done. TFS
bill
