Extract from Jordan Times Weekender Section: PASSIONS . Nov 02 http://www.jordantimes.com

Two champion climbers and their team on a two week climbing trip in Wadi Rum. Mutaz Mango [of Jordan Times] spent a morning with them.

Scaling Wadi Rum
"Last month, two of the world's top climbers successfully tackled the technically hardest faces in Wadi Rum a fragile environment with a vast potential for unique adventure. Thirty three-year-old Korean Go Mi-Sun, six time Asian climbing champion and ranked sixth in the world, and 36-year-old Japanese Yuka Endo, one of the few women to have climbed four peaks over 8,000m without oxygen, came for the first time to Jordan to explore Rum straight after participating in the 2002 UIAA Asian Climbing Championship.
The climbers' effort is symbolic, coming from two countries rival for decades, Japan and Korea, and straight after they had competed against each other in the Asian championship. Hosted by Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), the climbers were joined by Kazuhiro Chiba, professional climbing photographer, Melissa Paulissen, support climber and web designer, and Jeremy Jurgens, support climber and translator, to document their trip via a series of articles and photo-journal essays that will be online later this year through their website (www.activeshots.com) as well as international climbing media outlets.
The two climbers dared the seemingly impossible faces with apparent ease, mildly perturbed by the deceiving holds and rock that can give way unexpectedly, a climber's nightmare. The only thing that finally got to them was the heat, which became unbearable during the ascent of the afternoon sun-facing Al Jihad climb.
According to local climbers, the two technically hardest faces in Rum are: Fattamorgana, or the 'Black Wall', named after its granite rock, on the eastern side of Jabal Khaz'ali, about 12km south east of Rum village; and Al Jihad, lying on the eastern side of Jabal 'Um 'Ishrin, east of Rum village. Both were climbed once before, Fattamorgana by Polish climbers and Al Jihad by French. The climbers graded the pitches (50m lengths of rope) ... an average of 7b on the French grading system. It took them around two hours to cover two pitches on Fattamorgana. They later finished off the daunting vertical barrier with its protuberance of overhanging rock 100m up."
Thanks to Jordan Times for this news clip.

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For Wadi Rum Envoronmental matters, click: Rum Zoning and Rum RSCN leaflet

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For info on travel in Jordan and Wadi Rum see Jordan Jubilee.