Launching Byrdie on the Rocks:
A 1-Year Lead Climbing Celebration in Krabi – Day 1

Hey guys, thanks for stopping by my climbing blog and reading my first-ever blog post! First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Byrdie, and I go by byrdieontherocks. I’m a tech marketer, and I first started climbing back in 2022 at a gym in Bangkok. The rest is history—I’ve been climbing almost every weekend since! My first outdoor climbing experience was in Krabi in 2023, and gosh, I enjoyed it so much. I was only top-roping at the time, but I didn’t think I could progress to lead climbing. Well, I proved myself wrong! By the end of 2023, my climbing buddy Pie was talking about learning lead climbing indoors, but then she saw a flyer in our gym. It was for learning outdoor lead climbing—and that’s when my outdoor trips started happening more often. But hey, this blog is about my climbing experience in Krabi, right? LOL, I think I’ll make a post about that crazy experience in the future!

Just a quick background on my blog: This year, I also got into website development, so I created this site to practice and experiment with my coding knowledge. This blog is where I share my personal climbing experiences, not professional advice—I'm definitely not an expert! Please remember to always do your own research and prioritize safety when climbing.

Krabi, Krabi, Krabi... wow! I’ve been looking forward to this trip for so long. As many of you know, Krabi is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand, known for its stunning beaches and islands. But for us climbers, Krabi is a paradise. Many climbers are familiar with Railay Beach , a beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. But did you know that Krabi also has another well-known climbing spot called “The North Wall”? Located in Ao Nang on Krabi mainland, it’s easily accessible—unlike Railay, which requires a short 10-minute boat ride.

What makes this trip special? Well, I went to both crags—Railay and the North Wall! Whoa! This post will focus on my first day climbing at the North Wall.

December 7, 2024 couldn’t come soon enough. I booked my flight super early—like, 6:30 AM. So, I had to wake up at 3 AM since I live in the center of Bangkok. I caught the early flight with my climbing buddy, P’Bell. You’ll see her in some of my future posts. Pie, another partner-in-climb, also joined us on this awesome trip!

Fast forward to the afternoon after we checked into our hotel in Ao Nang, just a 15-minute walk to The North Wall. Let me tell you, the North Wall is beautiful but intimidating. I believe there are only a few 5-grade routes available, which was limiting for me because the hardest grade I can do outdoors right now is probably 5c. Beyond that, I might have to leave my quickdraws behind—haha, not my style! But man, the rock there is just gorgeous. There are so many overhang routes, though I’m not quite at that level yet. I’m not going to dive into the details about the type of rock here because, as I said, I’m just an amateur, but trust me, it’s stunning! Check out the pictures I’ve shared in this post.

When we arrived, there were a lot of climbers, but most of them seemed to be tackling harder grades. Luckily for us, the route “Psycho Killer” (5c) at the Rock n’ Roll Wall was available. For route details, you can check out the Crag link: Psycho Killer on The Crag

Even though this route is only 5c, it was still intimidating because it was in a new location, and I had never climbed here before. The anticipation was high. Ok, Birdie, you need to calm down. You’ve got this! I looked at P’Bell and asked, “Are you ready?” with an anxious smile. Well, we’re here now, so here goes. I geared up, clipped my first bolt, and okay, this feels good. The second I got above the clipped quickdraw, I started shaking real bad. This happens to me often—if you’ve never belayed me, you might wonder what the heck is going on! I clipped the second and third bolts, and that’s when it got a little overwhelming. I hadn’t slept well the night before because of my excitement, and I called P’Bell for some tension, telling her I needed to come down and get myself together.

My strategy for the next attempt was to climb slowly, carefully finding the best footholds and handholds. And guess what? It worked! I kept calm, took my time, and focused on my feet and hand placement. The last bolt before the anchor was scary—so far apart and a bit overhung. Maybe that’s how it got its name, “Psycho Killer.” But I did it! I finished the route, despite my hands and legs shaking 26 meters up!