HaBa Snow Mountain

Only hours away from Kunming’s bustling streets lies an eternal paradise of ice and snow. The southern arms of the Himalayas in Yunnan present a spectacular mountain kingdom. Climbing to the top of one of the jewels, HaBa, the whole world is suddenly below you. For one day you can proudly claim yourself Queen or King of Yunnan.

 

For photos from the trek see here

 

In the clouds above the steep shores of the Yangtze River in the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the mountains rise up into eternity. It might look impossible from the Gorge, but Haba on the north side is not only possible to climb, it is easy and one of the most spectacular hikes in China. The snow- and glacier-covered north side offers everything a professional mountaineer needs, and it gives the rest of us the opportunity to summit a true snow mountain all year round. All you need is a healthy body, proper winter clothing and some free days to devote yourself to the journey.

 

Climbing into the storm

We arrive in HaBa village, the starting point of the trek, early on Saturday morning. Looking up, we see the earliest rays of light hit the summit 3000 meters above us. It is a beautiful, chilly November morning, but the wind on the summit is visibly blowing strong - too strong for anybody to climb it. Not a good sign.

 

But the sun is shining, and after tasting the local Yak- butter tea of HaBa village, we start on the steep journey to base camp. The village is a beautiful little community of Naxi, Tibetan, Hui and Han people. Traditional houses are built along the small rivers coming from the glaciers above. Cannabis trees in every garden fill the air with sweet smells. It is a perfect start to any trek, but soon the village is gone and thick forest covers us until we reach base camp. The little camp is located at the tree line, 4100 meters above sea level. We are lucky: nobody in our small group suffers from altitude sickness and we arrive in good time before dinner. But the wind is still strong. All attempts to summit are canceled. Other climbers who have waited several days to make an attempt are relaxing around the bonfire. They fear tomorrow is going to be another fruitless day.

 

We crawl into our sleeping bags not long after dark. The wind is getting stronger and stronger. The summit seems farther and farther away. All night it blows with the strength of a storm. We all wonder if our wooden shed is going to last the night.

 

On Sunday morning the wind is just as strong or stronger. It is difficult to walk without being blown around. The summit is shining right above us, but impossibly far away in the storm. Everybody stays close to the camp. We spend the day playing in the snow and with the wind. It is better anyway to have a day to acclimatize. We can wait a day or two. But others are not so lucky. They have to be in the office on Monday. – 'Poor bastards', we laugh, as people are preparing to leave. Most in our group leave too. Only the two lao wai stay. The remaining local staff and guides are good talkers and good chefs. We sit around the fire in the biggest of the stone shelters. We eat and we laugh. Nobody expects the wind to change.

 

Lucky bastards

We can hardly believe it, but as soon as everybody has left, the wind is all of a sudden not so scary anymore. I look at Daniel and we silently nod in agreement. Luck is with us – lets do it! We wake up at 0500 to a perfect night. Stars shining like they were suns in our own solar system, the wind is completely gone and the temperature is cozy - between minus 10 and 15. We head out as excited as two kindergarten boys. Soon we put the crampons on. In front of us is a giant hill of white, shining in the stars and our headlights. 1300 meters above, gold and diamonds are waiting. Crampon trekking is easy and our thoughts travel their own journey. Every second time I look up there is a shooting star firing through the atmosphere. Some are bigger and longer than I have ever seen.

 

We walk in the shadows of a mountain toward the east as the sun rises. Around us the colors change consistently. Behind us far in the north, already bathing in sunlight, stands Meili snow mountain like the Queen of Yunnan she is. Behind her we see into the wild mountains of Tibet.

 

As we approach 5000 meters we both start to feel the altitude. The heart is beating faster and faster, a minor headache is in the eaves, Daniel is hungry but cannot swallow another Snickers. The hardest and steepest section remains - now more ice than snow. We don’t care. The reward is only two hours away. The sun is finally warming us and still there is hardly any wind

– Come on dude, lets climb this baby! one of us shouts.

 

Boys become kings

At 11.00 we are almost there. The GPS is already showing 5300 meters above sea level. As we get over the last ridge the view to the south reveals itself and we get our reward: The Tiger Leaping Gorge 3500 vertical meters below us. The famous wall on the south side of the gorge that we before only looked up at is finally below us. In front is the proud Jade Dragon Mountain of Lijiang. And down there somewhere flows the Yangtze within the gorge. Everywhere are steep and scary rock formations diving into the angry river. Needless to say, we feel like kings. We are kings!

 

Reaching the absolute highest point Daniel collapses on his back with a big smile. I am not sure if it is out of exhaustion or if he is praying a silent prayer to the HaBa gods. He must be telling them XieXie.

 

We stay on the summit a long time. The sun is warm and we are happy. So why not stay? But we have to go down eventually. Not having brought skis, we use our butts as the most convenient means of transportation. We are back in base camp in no time. Arrogantly, we tell our tale to jealous newly arrived climbers and the local staff. 'Lihai', they say.

 

We rest some minutes around the bonfire. We are both dead tired, but we soon leave anyway for the last steep trek down to civilization. – HaBa, we will be back! we scream. And knowing that winter is approaching, a dream is being born in our heads: This mountain is perfect for skiing!

 

 

Facts and practical information:

HaBa Snow Mountain (哈巴雪山), 5396 meters above sea level, is the southern most snow mountain possible to climb anywhere in Asia and Europe. The Andes in South America and Kilimanjaro in Africa are both closer to the equator. The Jade Dragon Mountain, some kilometers to the south of Haba and de facto the southern most glacier in Asia, is forbidden to climb.

 

Climbing HaBa does not present any technical challenges except for basic crampon walking skills. The greatest challenge is coping with the altitude. Some people do the whole climb from HaBa village to the summit in two days. Without prior acclimatization this can be dangerous. The more days you stay in base camp, the easier the climb will be. Respect for the weather is the second crucial element to remember.

 

In HaBa Base Camp there have recently been set up some simple wooden and stone sheds with basic sleeping and eating necessities. Each night costs approximately 60 Yuan and each meal 20 Yuan. Bringing a tent is also an option. The staff also rents the necessary equipment, crampons and ice axe, for 100 Yuan a day per person. If you are not an experienced mountaineer, it is highly recommended that you rent a guide for the summit trek. The guide costs 150 Yuan.  Remember to call ahead to make sure there are people present in base camp. The locals in HaBa village can also provide horses and guiding to go to base camp.

Bring heaps of candy and chocolate as lack of appetite is one very common effect of altitude sickness, and normal food will not go down.

 

How to get there: From Kunming and Dali take a bus towards ZhongDian (Shangri-La) and get off at QiaoTou, the entrance of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. In QiaoTou find a taxi that can take you to HaBa village for around 200 Yuan. In HaBa ask around for the trek or hire a guide.

Hao Si 好四 (13988848381) and his colleagues in base camp (13988766211) can be very helpful with organizing a trip. Feel free to contact the author for more information.

 

Useful vocabulary:

Base Camp – 大本营 da4ben3ying2

To summit – 登顶 deng1ding3

Ice axe – 冰镐 bing1gao3

Crampons – 冰爪 bing1zhao3