Preparing to Climb I want my pictures to open people’s eyes to parts of the world that few can experience. I also want to share stories that inspire others to get out there and explore. Being a National Geographic Explorer


and photographer gives me opportunities to photograph extreme sports in spectacular environments and do the things I love. And I love climbing—it’s a fantastic way to explore the world. Instead of just looking at a really amazing landscape I can actually feel it, with my hands and feet. When I’m climbing I’m not just an observer, I become part of the rock or mountainside. T e rocky coastline of Oman promised to be


one of those spectacular climbing destinations I dream about. A landscape of rocks, water and climbing routes just waiting to be conquered. Making that first ascent, or climb, on a


rock face that no one has climbed before is a challenge that all professional rock climbers pursue with passion. T e climbing possibilities on the peninsula seemed endless. When I looked at photos of the area, I could see the potential climbs. I began to imagine myself on the rock face, stretching upward to find a handhold, my muscles straining as I search for a place to put my foot. I could visualize the sheer rocky routes to the top of the cliff s. I thought: Wow! I want to climb there!


Awesome Rock T is particular peninsula also excited me because of its geology. Tall towers of limestone rock stick straight out of the ocean, with good reason. T is part of Oman is traditionally called the Ru’us al-Jibal, which literally means “the heads of the mountains.” T ese peaks were once even higher, but they have been slowly sinking. T e reason is plate tectonics. Eight large and several smaller tectonic


plates make up Earth’s crust like a giant jigsaw puzzle. T e plates slowly shiſt over Earth’s surface, crashing into, pulling apart, and sliding past each other creating landforms such as mountains and ocean basins. T e peninsula is part of the Arabian plate,


which pulls the mountains downward as it slips under the Eurasian plate. Over thousands of years, the valleys and other spaces around the sinking mountains have filled with ocean water, creating a landscape of high cliff s and deep blue water. As beautiful as the cliff s are, they are not


ideal for climbing. T e limestone cliff s weather easily.Weathering occurs when winds blow sand that blasts away at the rock surface. T e rare rains dump water on the cliff s. T e water seeps through the porous rock, dissolving the minerals that hold the rock grains together. T e rock crumbles and falls from the cliff face leaving jagged, sharp-edged surfaces.


Colliding Plates The Arabian plate slips under the Eurasian plate very slowly, moving only about 6 millimeters a year. Zagros Mountains ASIA AFRICA Oman


INDIAN OCEAN


OMAN IRAN


20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER


Arabian Plate


Eurasian Plate


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