FROM ABROAD - IF IT’S EASY, IT’S NOT FUN
IF IT’S EASY, IT’S NOT FUN
A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HIGHLINING STORY
LIV SANSOZ LIV CLIMBING ONE OF THE VERY FEW BOLTED ROUTES IN BARRAH CANYON, WADI RUM, JORDAN. NO GRADE INFO AVAILABLE. IMAGE BY AURELIE GONIN.
AURELIE GONIN CAPTURES LIV SANSOZ GIVING MAGIC LESSONS ON _MERLINS WAND_ (6A+), BARRAH CANYON, WADI RUM, JORDAN
This year, our travel plans are turned upside down yet again as we join climbing world champion Liv Sansoz, paraglider and guide Zeb Roche and adventure filmmaker and photographer Aurelie Gonin as they paraglide and climb through Jordan’s awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wadi-Rum desert. So folks, it’s time to dust off your passports, pack your rack (or two) and your favourite broad-brim hat, ’cause’ we’re going to Jordan!
While there is certainly some chatter about Jordan’s sandstone massifs and adventurous trad routes amongst some global climbing circles, its climbing still remains for the most part, relatively undocumented. Though once you’ve seen “If It’s Easy, It’s Not Fun”, you’ll be left just like us–wondering why that’s the case while feeling totally awe-struck, and drafting an annual leave request to your boss in one tab, while in another, you’re on the official Wadi Rum tourism website (wadirum.jo) planning your own trip. Throughout the film, director Aurelie Gonin’s cinematography enables the region’s climbing and its people to truly shine, and paints a picture of a landscape steeped in equal parts beauty and Bedouin culture, that’s sure to catapult Jordan to the top of your travel list.
Describing the uniqueness of the style of climbing Wadi-Rum demands of its visitors, Liv Sansoz says that “few routes are equipped with much fixed gear, so we carried nuts and cams for runners–really adventurous trad, although over the years climbers have equipped the belays for certain routes described in guidebooks, making their access less challenging. A lot of the routes are run out. Superb cracks, chimneys, offwidths, a little face climbing on small holds; Wadi Rum has it all. Although the holds are now quite solid on most of the classic routes, it’s different on new routes or lesser-climbed esoterica, where you are never safe from breaking something. It’s advanced climbers, with a good sense of observation and orientation, in addition to technical skills, who get the most out of Wadi Rum. You don’t need to be happy on 7a, but you definitely need to be a good all-rounder to be safe in this terrain.”
It’s Liv’s description of their first climb in Jordan that really lifts us out of the images and gives us a taste of what makes climbing in Wadi Rum so special. “What struck me the most was how beautiful and varied the climbing is. The texture, colours and formations of the rock are a surprise every time, and the potential for new routes is huge. Walls of abrasive and sometimes brittle rock, interspersed with long cracks tracing the route from one fascinating geological form to another, all in broad shades of ochre. Everywhere my eyes wandered I found myself fascinated. I never got tired of the views –nor the climbs. What a pleasure to feel this element under our fingertips.”
The film’s storyline is told from Aurelie’s perspective as an established adventure photographer and filmmaker, who’s learning how to adapt her talents to the vertical world while on an adventure of a lifetime in a high-stakes environment…with two of her friends, who just so happen to be internationally recognised adventurers in their own rights, no less! The main motivator of their trip is to climb Wadi Rum’s big walls and fly from the summits (did we mention you’ll need to pack your paragliding gear in addition to your broad-brim hat?), with the goal being an ascent of the huge and difficult Jihad wall, all while Aurelie expands her professional capabilities by shooting it. Aurelie knows this trip is going to be a challenge for her, but it’s her “if it’s easy it’s no fun” attitude that sees her rise to the occasion under the expert tutelage of her friends and expedition partners, Liv and Zeb.
The journey of the filmmaker as a central part of the narrative isn’t one we frequently see at the forefront of adventure films, so setting this within a landscape that feels like one of climbing’s best-kept secrets, and we’ve got a recipe for a film that’s sure to motivate you to set yourself new and exciting goals, in equally exciting places. The proof is in the pudding though, as through Aurelie’s journey, we’re reminded that behind all the climbing images and films that inspire us, are creatives and athletes who work tirelessly to challenge themselves in pursuit of their craft. With all this in mind, it feels like an honour to accompany Aurelie, Liv and Zeb as they push their individual limits in pursuit of a collective goal, in this truly spectacular place.
As if the images and film weren’t already mesmerising enough, Liv had this to say about how it felt to amalgamate climbing and flying in one of the world’s most breathtaking places. “Combining flight with climbing is quite simply magical. It’s hard to describe the satisfaction of flying next to the rock face you have just climbed. Looking down on the village of Rum before landing at its entrance, then being welcomed home by the Bedouin and their children, who had been pointing up at us in the sky just a few moments before.”
Watching “If It’s Easy, It’s Not Fun” feels like going on an adventure with three of your friends in a place that fills you with wonder. You’ll leave feeling inspired to embrace challenges in pursuit of your goals, laugh a little harder with your mates, and throw a dart at the map and climb wherever it lands.
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