Legend has it that when Lady Diana Spencer visited Oman in 1986, she was so mesmerised by Jebel Akhdar or the ‘green mountain’ that she stood staring at it for hours. It is a wonder, really; this mountain that was once under the sea millions of years ago, but rose to the sky, to 9,902 m above the sea level, because of tectonic movement. Even today, one can see fossils of marine life etched in the rock—whole shell of a turtle, many fish and several shells. It is also home to caves and pools and is one-of-its-kind landscape in the desert country of Oman. While Muscat simmers in extreme heat, at 450C, the weather in the mountains, just 2.5 hours away from the capital city, is 180C even in summers. In peak winters, around December, it even snows for a couple of days.
These weathered, mountains with daunting, steep walls and valleys, make for the perfect setting for a mix of adventurous abseiling (a sport or activity of descending a rock face or other near-vertical surface by using a doubled rope, coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point). At the Jebel Akhdar Mountain, this three-hour activity is only on offer at the luxury hotel Alila Jabal Akhdar, situated right on top of one of the highest cliffs.
Ready in comfortable T-shirts, full-length, stretchable pants, and sports shoes, guests wear harness, helmets and gloves to begin the descent from the top of the cliff. The first stretch is nerve-racking, especially for first-timers, as it’s a sharp fall into the valley. Even the simple act of attaching the harness to the rope, which runs across the entire adventure route and on which your life depends, is scary.
Right at the start, a few guests want to give up. But instructor Adnan eggs them on, escorting each participant, from the top of the cliff to the first landing. Participants secure their waist harness to the rope, then grip the rope tightly with their hands and with the support of their legs, placed on the rocks, throw their body weight against the harness, almost dangling in mid air to slowly climb down, their bodies facing the rock.
After a few screams, the participants come to the first landing, relieved. But little do they know that harder patches await them. These stretches demands high fitness levels and strong minds. Participants require great arm strength to pull up and push down their bodies through the mountain. Core strength is required to keep the balance and not topple down or sideways. Thigh strength is a must to climb up and down and so is body flexibility. For when participants must cross the outer, circular folds of the mountain, they must take long steps from one tiny, narrow step made out of a square hook to another. Right below, is the never-ending valley.
The tiny hooks look deceivingly small and unstable. It is hard to place both feet on it. So, one fixes the right foot on the first hook, sticks the body closer to the rock and with all the arm strength one has, takes a long step, stretching quite a distant, to place the other foot on another hook, on the other side of the curve of the mountain. It gets more thrilling from here. Now one climbs up the mountain.
Again, taking huge steps and lifting one’s body along the hook steps with absolutely no other crevices or folds to hold on to. One misstep can lead to serious injuries to the hands, knees or the head. While most people emerge out of the stretch scratch-free, others have small cuts on their bodies. But that’s all part of the game. “If you want great Instagram photos, you have to be brave and do this,” Adnan tells the younger participants.
What’s next, make the participants gulp in unison. A suspended bridge made of a single rope connects two extremely deep cliffs; the kind one feels dizzy even looking at. Participants are to cross the bridge to go to the other side. With harness secured on the rope above and hands fixed on the ropes on the side, participants walk, step by step, with twisted feet to keep the balance. The rope swings up and down, making it harder to balance.
Finishing strong is always the hardest in any extreme adventure sports. Climbing back up to the hotel at this point seems harder. Fatigue kicks in and legs tremble ready to buckle down. But pushing through that last mile is what makes for a strong athlete.