Galactic Routes: General Considerations
Galactic routes to the top of Takun are a serious undertaking. The tropics are hot and make things harder. Heat exhaustion is real and a serious threat. Take plenty of water and salt tablets to prevent cramps (recommend 3 litres per person as a minimum). Helmets are mandatory. The weather can change quickly in this area, and it is not unknown to be engulfed in thunderstorms. Take an ultralight protective jacket. Takun also attracts lots of lightening, so avoid the summit in a storm.
Take a watch, monitor your progress, and retreat if you’re behind schedule: please leave the area by sunset as not to jeopardise continued access. (Torches are recommended in case of emergency, but please make every effort to leave by sunset).
High angle rescue services are very limited in Malaysia. Don’t get yourself into anything that you can’t get yourself out of.
Hand-held radios may be useful.
This is what you want to avoid while climbing in KL 😉
Takun descent:
The fastest descent is to follow the trail and abseils down to the Campground, then walk back to the cars. This is only recommend if you are already familiar with the route.
Alternatively, rappel down “Get Out Of The Kitchen”:
Start: 30m below the true summit is a small rocky neck marked with a hangerless bolt next to a burned out tree stump. Rap anchors are visible below the stump. This abseil can be technical and demands back clipping.
- (30m) Down the gulley, then gently left to a standing ledge.
- (58m) Straight down to the sling under the stalactite at the start of P7.
- 4b (7m) 1B: scramble left to the next rap anchors
Option: EITHER IV or V
- IV (56m) Down to swing into the Cramp Cave. Quick and easy, but possibility of ropes snagging on featured rock.
OR
- (a) (28m): Down and slightly left to the small platform top of P4.
- (b) (28m): Hard right following the bolt line, then down to the Cramp Cave. This is a highly technical abseil with mandatory back-clipping. Don’t lose contact with the rock. The second will end up lost in space unless you tie both rope ends into the anchor.
- (58m): From the lower right of the cave abseil through the trees to the ground.
Route Description
Get Out Of The Kitchen 6b+/A0 – 7a+ (?)
FA D. Acott, S. Coupleux, 2013.
BB: D. Acott, S. Coupleux, C. Emerson
EDIT 23-June-2015
One more time, we would like to emphasize the following WARNING about the route. Despite the moderate grade this is a serious commitment (see also “Galactic Routes: General Considerations”). Our grades are based on Patrick Andrey’s benchmark routes in Nyamuk (Chess, Pear, Le future n’est plus ce qu’il etait, etc…) and White Wall. We encourage you to climb there before jumping on a Takun Multi-Pitch. A 6b+ 200m above the ground, after 7h of climbing under the sun, has a different feeling from a gym 6b+ (especially if you’re living in Singapore 😉 ). Double 60m ropes are needed to retreat. Prussick and back-clipping skills may be needed. This is not the place to learn ropework.
Long quickdraws and some slings recommended to reduce rope drag. Be mindful of rope management around sharp rock, particularly on pitches 5 and 10. On pitch 8, we would recommend to pre-clip the first bolt (either while finishing 7 or using a stick clip which can be handy in certain sections).
Please do share with us your journey on the route and let us know your thinking on grade.
END EDIT
An average party of 2 will take 10 hours car-to-car.
The first three pitches get shady earlier than the rest of the wall.
- Pitch1: “The Acid Test” 6b+(18m) 7B+2A Follow the first three bolts of “Red-legged Cricket” then bear left into brilliant white limestone. Anchors left of the stalactite
- Pitch2: “Sweat Bees Don’t Sting” 5c+/6a (22m) 6B+2S+2A: Left for the first 2 bolts, then up and left. Move fast to avoid disturbing the sweat bees. Head net is optional.
- Pitch3: 6a (25m) 4B+4S+2A Traverse left 9m to the arete; then diagonally up and left to anchors at the back of the Cramp Cave
- Pitch4: “Golden Thread” 6b+A0 (26m) 12B+1S+2A . Spectacularly exit the cave. Straight up for 6 bolts, then left to the arete and up to a small platform.
- Pitch5: 5c (14m) 3B+2A Straight up.
- Pitch6: 6a (20m) 6B+2A Up to the rappel station and traverse right to stance at a sling under a stalactite.. (Note: Pitches 5 and 6 are easily linked)
- Pitch7: 6b+A0/7a+? (35m) 12B+2S+2A Right and up; then tend gently right before moving left through the last 6m (Note: recommended to pre-clip the first bolt of P8).
- Pitch8: 6b+ (28m) 8B+2A Carefully through the first two bolts, then boldly up to stance on a ledge.
- Pitch9: 6a (18m) 3B+2S+2A Straight up.
- Pitch10: 5b+ (12b) 2B+1S+2A : Right 3m, then up the gulley (Note: Pitches 9 and 10 are easily linked).
Descent: see “Takun Descent”
Good Job ! Get yourself a beer !
Speaking this weekend to our good friend Tam, he told me that he climbed “Get Out Of the Kitchen” with Akmal Noor in December 2014. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first repeat of the route. Well done Tam!
PS – he reckons it’s “solid for the grade”.
NOTE TO ANYONE ATTEMPTING “GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN”
Apparently there is a growing collection of bail gear on the route. Much of it is poor quality steel, and already rusting, and difficult to remove. This both blocks others from using the bolt, and the rust can potentially damage the bolt.
PLEASE, if you bail, then bail off a carabiner – which can subsequently be removed. We used excellent and expensive bolts to establish the route. You can afford to leave one carabiner when you bail. (Otherwise, you’re ruining the route for everyone else).
Also, please remove any bail gear you find on the route (and dispose of properly). This will help preserve the route.