Out on a limb

After eight months of badgering almost everyone I know, I finally got my wish…I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Didn’t want to do it alone (…just in case I freaked out and needed someone to hold my hand) so I kept coaxing my friends one after the other to give it a shot. All I got were bewildered looks that said “Are you nuts!!!”. In fact, I grovelled to such an extent that one of my traumatised work mates offered to come along to the bottom of the bridge and wait there while I climbed it.

Anyway, couple of weeks back, I eventually got my chance to scale up this historic feat of engineering. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel arch bridge across the Sydney Harbour. Opened in 1932, this supposed to be the world’s widest long-span bridge.

Coming back to my climb, what was more inundating was the process of gearing up. Metal Detectors, climb suits, radio headsets, safety belts, simulated climbing…whew… must say, I almost bolted out the exit by the end of it. The climb itself was pretty enjoyable, except for certain points where you get a top view of the bridge pillars …coz that’s when hits home how high you really are. Once you go through the narrow walkways and reach the arch, the climb is actually quite comfortable. The arch rises gracefully, giving you an awesome view of the harbour all along. It was fine day to climb, not too sunny with the wind whistling softly in your ears. The summit is about 134 metres above the harbour level; strange how small the ships look from up here. What makes a good climb even better is to have a good guide...Dave…not just knowledgeable about the history of the harbour but also a great sport when it comes to taking photographs of the climbers. Too bad you have to pay to get the photographs. Although it’s probably a good thing that climbers are not allowed to get their own cameras…coz then you get lost in clicking the views and end up missing out on the experience

All said and done, I still think the bridge climb is a tad overrated and definitely overpriced. Certainly not an adrenalin pumping experience but a captivating one nonetheless.