Pha Tam Kam Valley Walls: Hangover, Partymeile, Open All Hours and Burnout | Laos Climbing Crags

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If the walls around camp are the "two routes before breakfast" routine, the far side of the valley is the "take half a day, enough draws and water" plan. This guide covers Hangover, Partymeile, Open All Hours, Burnout, Worldtrip, The Canyon and Communist Wall. There is no strict geographic line between them, but they share longer walks, longer routes, or a concentration of harder grades.

The camp walls guide covers Tree Lounge, Elephant, Hilton and The Roof. Together the two make up Pha Tam Kam.

What kind of crag this is

The valley walls are mostly vertical faces that finish over a roof. The first half is technical face climbing; the second turns into tufa or ceiling. That design means neither the 6s nor the 7s can be solved with one skill.

• Hangover and Partymeile: vertical faces with pockets and tufa, finishing over an overhang. Hangover is shaded until 1–2 pm, which makes it a good summer afternoon choice.
• Open All Hours: shaded all day, with longer routes in the 6s and 7s. The most reliable wall in hot weather.
• Burnout: vertical, crimpy and stiff. The 7a+ here is not a soft 7a+; do not warm up on it.
• Worldtrip: 30-metre tufa routes. Few routes, but worth the walk.
• The Canyon: technical vertical climbing, further from camp and quieter.

Walk times follow ClimbGrades' 2026 guide. Burnout, Worldtrip and Communist Wall have no clear time in that source, so none is given here; follow the signs and the camp map.

When to go

Thakhek's dry season runs from October to May. The valley walls depend more on shade planning than the camp walls:

• Hot weather: Open All Hours is shaded all day and is the safest choice from March to May. Hangover is shaded until 1–2 pm, so it suits the morning.
• Cool weather: the sunny faces at Burnout and Worldtrip are more comfortable in December and January; early-morning rock may still be in shadow.
• Rain: limestone seeps after rain and needs time to dry. Do not plan long routes right after a big storm. The Canyon and Worldtrip usually take longer to dry than Open All Hours.

Getting there

Public transport

No public transport reaches these sectors; everything is walked from GCH, and the furthest is The Canyon (25 minutes from Camp 2). Flights, buses and visas for reaching GCH are in the Thakhek base guide.

Driving

You do not drive into the valley; park at camp and walk. What matters is the road from Thakhek town to camp: Route 13 mixes tarmac and dirt and turns muddy in the wet season.

Parking

The camp has parking. There is no second parking spot up the hill, so the vehicle stays at camp.

Rules before you go

The hanger-nut accident at Communist Wall. On 27 December 2025, after repeated falls and swings, the hanger nut on the second bolt of a route came loose and the hanger detached. The climber hit the ground but was not injured. Bolts here are not inspected daily: carry a wrench and check hangers and nuts before you climb.

Burnout grades are stiff. Locals and ClimbGrades both describe Burnout as a stiff sector. Warm up at Open All Hours or Hangover first; do not make a Burnout 7a+ your first route.

Rope length on long routes. A 30-metre route can be lowered on a 70 m rope, but knot the end. With a 60 m rope, confirm the lower-off. GCH recommends 60–80 m; ClimbGrades recommends 70 m minimum.

There is no ambulance. This side of the valley is further from camp, so carry-out times are longer. Serious injuries usually cross to Nakhon Phanom in Thailand, and the border closes at 22:00.

There are only a few multipitches. GCH says four in the area; ClimbGrades says three. Chinese New Year is four pitches, 130 metres, 6b (UKC also lists 6a+).

Routes by level

YDS conversions follow the Mountain Project international grade comparison chart and are approximate; "approx." marks grades the sources give without a/b/c (such as 4 or 5+). The original grade is the one that counts.

Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)

There are few easy routes on this side, mostly at The Canyon: technical vertical climbing on a moderate angle, good for getting used to limestone friction.

Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)

The 6s at Open All Hours are classic long face climbing, shaded all day, and the best climbing in this band. The 6c+ at Worldtrip is a 30-metre tufa route.

Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)

The 7s at Hangover and Partymeile are the most frequently recommended routes here. L4 One of the Best is the long-face test piece at Open All Hours; the 7b and 7c at Burnout are noticeably stiffer.

Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)

There is no verifiable named route to list at this grade. theCrag lists Taang Nyai (8a) and No Sightseeing! (8a+) among Thakhek's area-wide icons, but does not mark their sector or current condition, so they are not forced into a table. Ask at camp which 8s are open, in what condition, and whether your rope is long enough.

Long routes and multipitch

Pha Tam Kam has very few multipitches: GCH says four in the area, ClimbGrades says three. The one most often mentioned is Chinese New Year, four pitches, 130 metres, 6b (UKC also lists 6a+).

A multipitch is not just single pitches joined together. Before you start, confirm:

• Where each anchor is and how much rope it needs, especially whether a 70 m rope reaches the ground on the descent.
• Whether you need a second rope or a haul bag.
• The weather and escape options; afternoon storms build quickly in the valley.

Where to look things up

• theCrag: Pha Tam Kam: sector and route index.
• ClimbGrades: 2026 Thakhek guide: walk times and logged ascents.
• UKC: Sport Climbing in Thakhek: classic routes and style.
• Mountain Project: Thakhek (Pha Tam Kam): cross-checks individual routes.
• Guidebook: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority. Laos Rock Climbing Guidebook, Green Climbers Home, 2023 edition, in English, about US$12, sold on site, with detailed Thakhek topos plus Vang Vieng, Pha Tang and other areas.

References

• Green Climbers Home: Climbing
• Green Climbers Home: Accident Reports & Lessons Learned
• theCrag: Pha Tam Kam
• UKC: Sport Climbing in Thakhek
• ClimbGrades: Thakhek guide for 2026
• Mountain Project: Thakhek (Pha Tam Kam)