Crazy Horse Rock Climbing

Crazy Horse Buttress is the jewel of northern Thailand climbing. It is a very different experience than Railay: You are swapping seaside views for arid jungle. You also lose the convenience of hopping out of your bungalow and and being able to clip your first bolt five minutes later -- instead, you have a 45 minute commute from town. The upside is that the climbing here is rarely crowded, and many of the routes are less polished. Crazy Horse also offers the opportunity to climb inside some substantial caves: Morning Glory, for example, is a 5.10 about 100' feet long in the Windy Cave. The Anxiety State cave has some short and easy routes, as well as multipitch classic testpieces. Routes are generally well bolted. And, although Crazy Horse does not have the corrosion problems of Railay, the area is gradually being rebolted with titanium glue-ins. Chiang Mai is also a vibrant city, with lots of opportunities for rest day activities.

There are three seasons for climbing in Chiang Mai: hot, hotter, and hot and wet. Daytime highs will often hit 100F by April (Note: temps at the crag will often be several degrees cooler than in town). Summer gets quite warm, and there is a rainy season in early fall. Overall, the rainy season for Crazy Horse is shorter than for Railay, and average humidity levels are a little lower as well. Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry for the seasonal weather norms:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chian…

It is possible to chase shade all day. Also, it can be quite cool on winter mornings, particularly if you are riding a scooter from town.

Dangers and hazards: Honey bees build large nests on the underside of roofs, and are aggressive. In contrast, wax bees have short tube-like nests, and are pretty harmless. You will find wasps on occasion as well. There are also centipedes, scorpions, and red ants which can inflict nasty bites. The dogs that live at the cliff are generally friendly, and the monkeys here are rarely seen. Some of the tamarind plants are painful to touch, ditto for nettles found along the trail.

There is often a monk living by the cave system on the right side of the Ant Hill. Please be respectful in this area.