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Ascent of Jebel Shams on 2016-11-29

Climber: Richard Mclellan

Others in Party:Denise Mclellan -- Trip Report or GPS Track
Date:Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Ascent Type:Successful Summit Attained
    Motorized Transport to Trailhead:4x4 Vehicle
Peak:Jebel Shams
    Location:Oman
    Elevation:9902 ft / 3018 m

Ascent Trip Report

We stayed at the ridiculously expensive Jebel Shams Heights Resort where a camping pitch cost us 20Rial(£40) for 1 night and that was after haggling. The main thing in its favour was it was at the trail head.

There's a marked trail from the Resort to the S summit which is only about 10m lower than the N summit. The trail is marked by frequent red/white/yellow paint marks and for part follows the rim of the impressive canyon. We failed to find the start of the trail and made our way easily up the gentle angled limestone slopes and vallies E of the Resort reaching the canyon rim and trail at alt.2460m. We continued along the rim but lost the trail and ascended easy slopes ang gullies to the obvious summit with buildings, approaching them from the SW. The summit has fence with open gate and group of goats, the high point is on the very edge of the limestone escarpment with dizzying views into the valley below. There's a building with radome and a building under construction very close by. We later learn this is a 'restricted area' but on the ascent we didn't see any notices to this effect. We did observe that the ground some way below the current fence was being cored at regular intervals presumably for a new and more secure perimeter fence.

Descending SSW picking our way through small rock bands we relocate the marked trail which we follow without difficulty to the S. summit, which apart from being slightly lower, is a much more deserving peak than its northern neighbour. Superb views, weather and a couple of wild Donkeys for company.

Darkness falls before we make it back to the car and the last 5km is slow going trying not to loose the path nor fall into the canyon.
Click on photo for original larger-size version.
Jebel Shams from the S (2016-11-29). Photo by Richard Mclellan.
Click here for larger-size photo.
Summary Total Data
    Total Elevation Gain:4807 ft / 1465 m
    Total Elevation Loss:4807 ft / 1464 m
    Round-Trip Distance:14.8 mi / 23.8 km
    Grade/Class:YDS1
    Quality:6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale)
    Route Conditions:
Maintained Trail, Open Country
    Weather:Pleasant, Calm, Clear
Ascent Statistics
    Gain on way in:3757 ft / 1145 m
        Gain Breakdown:Net: 3593 ft / 1096 m; Extra: 164 ft / 49m
    Loss on way in:164 ft / 49 m
    Distance:5.2 mi / 8.4 km
    Route:West slopes
    Start Trailhead:Jebel Shams Heights Resort  6309 ft / 1922 m
    Time:4 Hours 40 Minutes
Descent Statistics
    Loss on way out:4643 ft / 1415 m
        Loss Breakdown:Net: 3593 ft / 1096 m; Extra: 1050 ft / 320m
    Gain on way out:1050 ft / 320 m
    Distance:9.6 mi / 15.4 km
    Route:Via the South summit
    End Trailhead:Jebel Shams Heights Resort  6309 ft / 1922 m
    Time:8 Hours 10 Minutes
GPS Data for Ascent/Trip


 GPS Waypoints - Hover or click to see name and lat/long
Peaks:  climbed and  unclimbed by Richard Mclellan
Click Here for a Full Screen Map
Note: GPS Tracks may not be accurate, and may not show the best route. Do not follow this route blindly. Conditions change frequently. Use of a GPS unit in the outdoors, even with a pre-loaded track, is no substitute for experience and good judgment. Peakbagger.com accepts NO responsibility or liability from use of this data.

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