3Somes

Overview

3Somes is another area developed by Ralph Heath. It is in Wadi Shaha.

From the road, two main focal points attract the eye: the large left facing corner, of the Kingsize Bed area (the L hand buttress) and, across the central descent gully, a short, clean, curving off-width crack with a cave at its R hand base (the Menage a Trois area). The rock in the Menage a Trois area is generally better than the Kingsize Bed, but the slightly lighter coloured rock of the Menage a Trois slab (all the way to the R of the crag), is especially good. Approach approx. 10 mins

 

The routes are described from L to R. The first 4 routes are not typical of the author’s typical routes ie more cleaning needed.










I have used a star system to highlight routes that deserve attention for their quality:
1 star routes = of importance compared to other routes of the same grade at the same venue
2 star routes = of importance compared to other routes of the same grade in the wider general area
3 star routes = of importance compared to other routes of the same grade nationally

Therefore any route that I have done the first ascent, and attracts even 1 star, should be an enjoyable route with better rock quality than the average found in the UAE. I hope this assists you in selecting appropriate routes that maximise your enjoyment.

Where routes contain an abundance of poor rock I have written 'Not Recommended'.

Getting There

From the Shamil garage (Emarat brand), at the Lamp/Lantern Roundabout in Ras Al Khaimah, continue West (W) along the dual carriageway, over two more roundabouts, past the RAK Hospital, and the Medical Sciences College. After about 4km and a lazy 90 degree bend (N) in the road, you arrive at a mini-roundabout where you go straight on for another 200mtr, till the T junction, where a R turn takes you past the military barracks (on L), and past 3 huge gas storage silos (on R). The next R is sign-posted Wadi Baih. Take this and stay on the main tarmacced road, past the entrances to several other wadis, past several villages, until nearly 20km in, where there is a roundabout (GPS Grid ref: N 254918.6 / E 0560645.2) next to a yellow house with white trim and red tile roof. This, incidentally, is about 3km before the border post for Oman (which is no longer passable for non-Emiratis). At the roundabout turn L (NW). You are now in Wadi Shaha. About 5km along the tarmac, at the worker’s camp on the L, a white telecoms tower makes measuring distances to crags very convenient. Distances are thus from this white tower…zero your odometer!!

Travel 8.9km past the white telecommunications tower - GPS N 255336.5 / E 0560640.1 - which is 150mtr past a property entrance on L. A square man-hole on the opposite side of the road also indicates the correct place to park. Despite regular cairns being built to indicate where to cross the wadi and scale its crag-side wadi 'bank'/wall, they keep being obliterated by the intermitent heavy construction at the wadi.

Red Tape

Lots of heavy duty road works are being conducted further up the wadi and the approach to this venue is often used to supply the wadi improvement project with stones, so bulldozers are occasionally found gathering or stacking rocks at or near the approach.

Wadi Shaha is owned and worked by Muslims. Even the imported workforce are sourced from Muslim Pakistan. Every visitor who wishes to climb, hike, or ride a bike does so due to the kindness of the locals. Please respect this! There are climbing areas in the UAE where the locals do not welcome climbers, and are actively hostile to prevent them.

There is a huge amount of governmental-funded landscaping currently going on in this wadi. 5 years ago there was no tarmac road at all. Now it spans nearly 15km and is being lengthened further up the mountain each year. The area at the top of the wadi is thus very busy with heavy construction vehicles and constant changes in the actual landscape of the wadi being carried out.

My routes are all at crags in the mid-section of the wadi and so have not been affected by this landscaping, but this may of course change...

Camping

There are fewer camping options currently at this end of the wadi due to the road improvement efforts. However, in the near future, when industrial scale trundling of rocks has finished due to completion of the road at this point on the mountain, the parking spot at the entrance to Trident Gorge also allows access to two wonderful camp spots. In the meantime improvised camping will have to be found on an ad-hoc basis anywhere further down the wadi where you are not inconveniencing the locals (somewhere where the wadi is wide and braided is where most of the locals camp. Between Thunder and Yellow House there are several access roads down onto 'mezzanine' gravel levels, but avoiding the flood area of the true wadi floor. These make great camping spots.

External Links

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Routes At 3Somes

Razorfingers 54mtrs Grade HVS 4b F/A R Heath / Simon Cahill Dec 5th 2012
This route is listed in the 'Not Recommended' section. Start at the steep, short, sharp crack and ascend 5mtr to easier ground. Make a rising traverse L to a small recess below the main chimney of 3Somes Aren’t Fun. R of the chimney, a walkway ledge leads to the bolt belay of 3Somes and Anticlimax. Avoid the chimney, 3mtrs R is a steep crack leading you to a ledge. Traverse L to a seam/ramp to the finish.

Anticlimax 54 mtrs Grade VS 4b F/A R Heath/Owen Pearce Jan 14th 2012
As the name hopefully suggests, in spite of the great looking line, the route never lives up to expectations, and is listed as 'Not Recommended'.
1.4b25mtr Start L of the slab, at Razorfingers' crack. Gain the slab above. Move R to the crack in the blunt nose and up to the narrow ledge and bolt belay (below a slight bulge)
2.4b35mtr Take the crack on the R. Static moves on the sharp holds are advised. Continue direct, past pedestal, with occasional steps R when needed to avoid loose bits. Short sections of face climbing between breaks, lead to Razorfingers' bolt anchor at top ledge. Head L past gendarme for same descent as 3Somes and project route.

 

3somes Aren’t Fun60mtrs Grade HS 4a F/A John Domoney/Ralph Heath A/L (Ben Ranson) Feb 28th 09
Not Recommended. After the 1st pitch, and during a long day in unseasonally hot sun, Ben Ranson succumbed to heat exhaustion and needed to be lowered to the ground. Our threesome had ended prematurely.
1.30mtrs 3c An easy line up the nose 10mtrs L of the main “Making the 1st Move” corner. Bolt anchors
2.30mtrs 4a Now eager to help Ben back to the car, the 1st ascent team escaped L into the obvious gully for a further 26mtrs of easy ascent (mostly without gear), before a protectable 4a move at a chockstone near the top. Gain main ledge, belay. Good natural anchor.

Images

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