Another fantastic group of International Student Volunteers rocked Crazy Horse on Tuesday, exploring all over the crag on an Ultimate Rope and Rock Adventure. Thanks for all the energy and enthusiasm – you guys were great!
What kind of experience will you CREATE during your last 5 days in Thailand? As always, we encourage you to keep challenging yourselves: eat those bugs, squat on those toilets, explore the early morning markets, and… Climb on!
Another beautiful day in the Mae On Valley! From the cool of the morning to a golden late afternoon, bold Spring Semester adventurers from the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute explored Crazy Horse with CMRCA.
The students showed a singular zest for living in the growth zone. By the end of the day they had all succeeded in climbing the cliffs, studying the culture and geology in the caves, traversing and rappelling in the great main chamber of Anxiety State Crisis, and even learning how to say all of those things in Thai.
Thanks for creating an outstanding experience, ISDSI! We would love to see you when you’re in Chiang Mai over the next few months – come visit us at the bouldering wall and keep us updated on your further adventures. Climb on!
What an incredible day we just had with KICS International School. Thank you for helping us create a truly memorable day of Rock Climbing, Caving and Tyrolean Adventures!
We hope you create an amazing experience for yourselves with your remaining time in Chiang Mai. See you next year!
Climb On!!
We are so excited to welcome the International Student Volunteers back for another great season of service and adventure!
CMRCA often works with ISV groups as they finish two weeks of powerful community service and launch into a two week outdoor adventure tour of Thailand. It’s inspiring to see open minded young people challenging themselves and committing to make a difference. The CMRCA instructors had a great time rock climbing, caving, rappelling, Tyrolean Traverse-ing, and getting to know you during your Ultimate Rope and Rock Adventure.
As always, we are psyched to be part of the ISV team and looking forward to creating some outstanding experiences in the coming year. Keep up the great work guys… Climb On!
We had a great day rock climbing and rappelling with Kardinia International College. Crazy Horse’s cliffs and caves have rarely seen such an energetic group. The CMRCA team was so impressed by your willingness to challenge yourselves and support each other. Congratulations on creating an outstanding experience!
We love working with Kardinia. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Climb On!
A new movie highlighting CMRCA’s dedication to the promotion and expansion of sustainable climbing tourism in Asia:
The fundamental piece of an adventure tourism industry that supports the local economy and culture are guides with extensive knowledge and excellent skills. Rock climbing guides, as well as being safety experts, teachers, and coaches, become representatives of their community and their country to visiting travelers. Working in adventure tourism becomes an avenue for the personal and professional development of local people.
CMRCA engaged in this development directly in August 2010, when we hosted four aspiring climbing guides from Cam Sur Province, The Philippines. Dong Dee, Mark, Paul, and Song completed five weeks of intensive guide training with CMRCA. Beginning with an extended Fundamentals of Rock Climbing course and developing into an internship where the boys acted as assistant guides on student programs, sold gear in the shop and engaged in promoting community events, the guide training course represented what we hope will be the future of climbing in South East Asia.
The boys are now back in Cam Sur preparing to guide at one of the newest sport climbing crags in Asia, which CMRCA helped bolt (see picture of the beautiful seaside cliff and bolting expedition here).
Thanks again to the Cam Sur boys for taking the lead on the road to sustainable climbing tourism! We can’t wait to visit you on Gota Island (again).
Climb On…
Last week, it was our pleasure to welcome the American Community School of Abu Dhabi back to Crazy Horse for two days of exploring northern Thailand’s premier rock climbing and caving area! The experience kicked off with a brisk walk to the base of the cliff, followed by large group energizers and handshakes from around the world. We then split into smaller groups, reviewed safety procedures, and set individual goals for the day.
The rest of the day was an action-packed whirlwind of rock climbing, belaying, introductory caving and geology, learning to rappel, and our signature Tyrolean Traverse inside Anxiety State Crisis Cave!
We had so much fun working with this brave and energetic group. Success for us meant hearing students (and some teachers) say, at the end of the day, “I can’t believe I did it!” Nice work, guys — crush those limiting beliefs and continue to grow!
Climb ON…
Thanks to the International School of Mynamar for a fantastic rock climbing, caving, team building, and rappelling program! We really enjoyed working with all of you and helping you create an outstanding day at Crazy Horse (it wasn’t hard).
We hope you had a wonderful trip in northern Thailand. Looking forward to future adventures. Climb ON!
We started off the day with a warm-up activity called Evolution, in which participants “evolve” from ameobas to fish to monkeys based on the results of rock paper scissors matches. If you were at Crazy Horse in the past two days, odds are you turned your head when the American International School of Hong Kong students reached the peak of Evolution. Above the din of fish splashing and monkey howls, a growing chorus walked around shouting “AIS Leaders!”
The emergence of AIS Leaders extended far beyond the warm-up game. Over two action-packed days, the students climbed, caved, belayed, rappelled, and explored all over Crazy Horse on an Ultimate Rope and Rock Adventure. Thanks AIS for a fantastic program! Everyone achieved personal success with CMRCA and we know that as leaders you will continue to EVOLVE.
The latest group of young explorers from Pacific Discovery blazed through Chiang Mai this week, making the most of CMRCA’s Karst Exploration Adventure! After a full day of climbing Crazy Horse Buttress and learning how to rappel, the students hiked to the Mon Khao Kwang homestay, where wonderful “Grandma Sai” and her twin granddaughters helped us settle in.
Dinner at the homestay was plentiful and delicious. Once we had finished the last of the fresh longan (they’re like lychees, but not!) CMRCA facilitators led the group in a series of engaging lessons focused on cultural immersion and personal growth. Thai language and leadership models may eventually fade from memory, but I think it’s say that these young travelers will never forget how to use a squat toilet… as long as there is ska / reggae music playing! We capped off the night with a campfire, grilled sticky rice, and a number of fun group games.
The next day began early with a trip to the morning market in the rural town of Mae On. While collecting unfamiliar foods from local vendors, our previous night’s lessons in Thai language and embracing challenge became extremely relevant!
The remainder of the day was spent underground: First in the sacred Muang On tourist cave and then in the depths of the huge cave we call Anxiety State Crisis. The descent into Anxiety State Crisis Cave required all of the rappelling and climbing skills learned the day before, as well as genuine dedication to personal growth and challenge! We scrambled past 30 meter tall flow stones, ominous sink holes, and even waded through a chest-deep lake before reaching end of the large passageways. But the finale of the day was still ahead: we exited the cave with a thrilling Tyrolean Traverse and 50 meter rappel to the ground!
Thanks to Pacific Discovery for another outstanding program. We have a feeling that your Karst Exploration Adventure with CMRCA will seem easy in comparison to the challenges you’ll face in three months of traveling throughout Southeast Asia. Remember to be accountable to your goals, be aware of how you are challenged, and CREATE the experience that you want to create! Climb ON!
