Ulu Geruntum Waterfall | Gopeng | Perak | Waterfalls

Ulu Geruntum waterfall

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Abseiling from a waterfall provides a thrilling but wet adventure.

Poised and roped at the top of a gushing waterfall, a petite lady trembled with fear as she looked over the edge.

“Oh God, I can’t do it. There’s no way I am going down!” she exclaimed.

After much cajoling and assurance by James Chee, one of the organizers, she finally conquered her nerves and abseiled down the waterfall, none the worse for wear.

She was among 30 participants at the Ulu Geruntum waterfall in Gopeng, Perak. Earlier in the day, they had white water rafted down the Kampar river rapids.

These young people with similar interests were brought together through the social networking website Facebook.

The day’s participants were given a briefing on the equipment and technique of abseiling by the well qualified river guides. Each person had to wear a safety helmet used for rock climbing, a seat harness and a carabiner with a “figure of eight” descender.

James Chee instructing an abseiler on what to do.

“Lean back and let the harness take your weight. Walk backwards with feet apart to maintain balance,” advised Senz, one of the guides.

“Keep your legs about 90 degrees to the wall. If your legs are higher and you slip . . . you will be dangling upside down. If your legs are lower, slip . . . you will kiss the wall!” was how he ended the briefing.

The enthusiastic but apprehensive adventure seekers made their way up a 10m slope to the top of the waterfall. Two static lines (abseil ropes) and two safety lines were already securely anchored to two trees.

Each abseiler was attached to the static line that ran through the descender connected to the seat harness via a carabiner.

The rate of descent is controlled by feeding the lower part of the static line through the descender.

“To stop descending, just pull the lower end,” explained Chee, a senior partner in Riverbug, the company which organized this white water rafting and abseiling package.

A good kind of deluge.

“We use the double belay system for safety. The top belay safety line is controlled by the guide at the top of the waterfall and the bottom belay abseil rope is held by another guide at the base of the fall. In the event the abseiling participant lets go both his/her hands, the double belay will check the free fall,” explained Chee.

Soon it was my turn to take the plunge. I looked nervously at the 10.5mm abseil rope as Chee hooked it to my harness.

Chee assured me, “Don’t worry, that rope is made of braided nylon with a protective sheath, and the safety load is 2,200kg. Don’t forget we have a safety line on your harness, too.”

“Wow!” I thought to myself. “A load of 2,200kg? That’s the weight of an elephant! I am safe!”

As I walked hesitantly backwards over the edge, Senz’s briefing came to mind. The moment I hit the cascading water, I tried to assume the posture taught to us. Somehow the forceful, streaming wall of cold water erased all my fears, as if washing it away.

When I slowly plied the abseil rope through the descender to lower myself, I felt like a small kid running in the rain. Mum, however, was not around anymore to show her displeasure at my antics. A few minutes later, I was at the bottom of the waterfall, still standing upright on my feet! I did it! It was over all too soon.

Max, the belayer at the bottom of the waterfall was on hand to detach the abseil rope and safety line. Two ropes had been attached to several anchor points at the base of the waterfall to prevent participants from falling into the swift water if they slipped while walking back to dry ground.

Riverbug entertains requests for one or two repeat attempts by their clients if time permits, especially when a smaller group is involved.

Abseiling from a waterfall provides a thrilling but wet adventure

For experienced rock climbers who are familiar with abseiling, this activity should be a piece of cake. For those not yet initiated, it is a unique wet adventure.

Getting to Ulu Geruntum Waterfall

Ulu Geruntum Waterfall is accessible via a narrow metal road about half an hour’s drive from Gopeng town in Perak.

Riverbug has been running white water rafting in Gopeng since 2005. In 2006, they added waterfall abseiling as a package for day trippers.

Get more details by calling 012-3131006 (Hotline/Fara), 012-2205145 (James Chee) or visiting http://www.traversetours.com.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/

Driving Direction, Location and Map to Ulu Geruntum Waterfall