And just to let you know, heights scare the bejeezus out of me, too. You'd be surprised how quickly it passes after the first climb of the day (this is why the first climb is always an easy one!).
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> Bourne
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> P.S. The US has some fantastic climbing, BTW - if you find a site on "big wall" climbing in Yosemite Valley, you'll see what is generally considered to by the "ultimate" in climbing. Thousand foot walls, anyone?

I don't think my phobias are that easily cured. Anyway, East Tennessee has some steep mountains and cliffs, but our rocks are often shale and slate. Most of the climbers around here go to North Carolina where the rocks are stuff like gniess and granite.

There is a thick sandstone caprock on the Cumberland Plateau. Some is hard, but a lot of it crumbles. The eastern escarpment has some impressive cliffs.

In Hawaii there are lava cliffs up to several thousand feet. I always wonder how many have been climbed. I made it to the top of the Pali cliffs on Kauai, but I drove a rental car up the Waimeaa Canyon to the Kalalau Lookout. Early in the day, before the clouds roll in, you can look down about 4000 feet into the Pacific. I didn't get too close to the edge.
Howard