Route Guide

written and designed by: Ryder Stroud

contributors: Mike Dobie, Ana Pautler, Raúl Saúco, Dan Jerke,
Nico Cáceres, and Locky Carlier

includes routes from: Liming, Tu’er Shan, Xiasai Massif, Nianbaoyuze, and Keketuohai 1
 special thanks to the folks who came on
the adventure and pitched information
and photos for this guide:

Mike Dobie
Ana Pautler
Raúl Saúco
Dan Jerke
Nico Cáceres
Lachlan “Locky” Carlier
Tang Chetkul
and many thanks to folks on-the-
ground in China who helped the Wild
West Team with logistics and support
throughout the trip:

Adam Kritzer
Colleen Chen
Katherine “Kat” Xie
Zhini “Nicki” Peng

The crew at Goodfellas Pizza, Climb

Dali, and Keystone Adventures

The crew at the House of Science

For corrections and route information,

please, email:

Ryder Stroud, [email protected]

©Ryder Stroud
Itinerant Climbers Collective, 2015

2 3
 Warning: Climbing is dangerous!
Climbing is an inherently a dangerous sport. This
guidebook is not meant to be any sort of instruc-
tional tool. The author of this book and its contrib-
utors assume no responsibility for actions you take
when climbing the routes specified in this route
guide or any guidebook. You and you alone are re-
sponsible for your own safety. Seek qualified, profes-
sional instruction before venturing out to the cliffs.

Remember, you are not just climbing, but climbing

in China, a country in which rescue infrastructure
is inadequate, at best, and non-existent, at worst.
Self-sufficiency, self-rescue skills, conservative deci-
sion-making, and years of experience all must work
together to bring you and your teammates home.
Climbing Ethics
Be smart. Be safe. Climb new routes.
The subject of climbing ethics is always a conten- - Prepare a route properly. If you prepare a route,
tious issue. Some folks’ ethics can be another’s lack come with the tools to do the job right. Bring your
thereof. With each area described within this book, tool kit to remove loose rock and dirt that might
follow the ethics expressed in the definitive guide- clog a new line. If bolt anchors are required (plac-
books for each location, should they already exist. es like Liming) bring an impact drill or hand drill
Links and references to pre-existing China guide- along with a straw, hammer, wrench, and bolts. If
books are included in this book. But as a starter set you want future climbers to praise your route, put
of rules, follow these general common-sense guide- in the time to make it a gem.
lines:
- Respect pre-established ethics. This rule goes
- Do not chip, deface, or otherwise mar a route if especially for places like Liming and Keketuohai.
the stone is solid. There exists a fine line between Both locations already have a tradition of how to
cleaning and preparing a route to be climbable and establish routes. Even if you disagree with some of
defacing the stone. In general, if a rock or feature is the ethics of these areas, respect the fact that other
loose, remove it. If it is solid, leave it be. If you are climbers developed there before you arrived, and
unsure, leave it and ask a developer for his or her ad- they put a great deal of blood, sweat, work hours,
vice! Climbers are often guests in the locations they money, resources, and dedication to make the area
climb. Do not wear out our welcome by destroying a destination for you to come and climb.
the cliffs.
- Build community. Traditional climbing, alpine
- Do not retrobolt or bolt unnecessarily. If you are climbing, and the outdoor community in gener-
developing a traditional line, keep it as such. Use al are very young in China by comparison to the
bolts sparingly for un-protectable terrain or terrain United States and Europe. Climbing, especially
in which placing gear might compromise safety traditional climbing, did not catch on in a real way
for climbing teams. Absolutely do not place bolts in China until 2000, by some Chinese climbers’
on pre-established routes unless you get explicit estimation. Remember that your actions in how
consent from the first ascentionists! For areas like you develop routes and interact with local climbers
Liming, bolt anchors are standard practice because will have a huge impact on the future of the sport
of the nature of the stone. Areas like Keketuohai in the country! Temper the ego, make friends, enjoy
generally do not have bolts unless there is no con- yourself, and get out there.
ceivable way to walk off a feature.
4 5
 with generous support from

Raúl Saúco powers up the Goal Zero Sherpa 100 with Nomad solar panels while on
the approach to Contradiction Spire in the Xiasai Massif of western Sichuan Province.

Black Diamond athlete Mike

Dobie plugs a key .75 X4
Camalot during an attempt
for the second free ascent of
the Logan Barber test piece,
The Firewall pitch of The
Flying Buttress (5.13d), one
of China’s hardest established
trad lines in Liming, Yunnan
Province, China

6 7
 Mike Dobie fuels his first free ascent (FFA)
of the crux pitch on Diamond in Witch
House (5.13a) with a Dali Bar in the
granite paradise of Keketuohai canyon in
Xinjiang Province.

Ana Pautler climbs the 35-meter,

sustained second pitch (5.11+) of
The Flying Buttress (5.13d) in
Liming, Yunnan Province.

8 9
 Introduction China Climbing Guidebook Resources
When many people think of “rock climbing” in stunning lines up beautiful formations that have yet A small but dedicated crew of foreign and Chinese climbers have been
China, they conjure the images of Yangshuo, the to see a human soul on their flanks. It just requires gathering information on climbing areas and writing, in both English and
alien-planet-like limestone karsts in the south of the a bit more sense of adventure to find these places. Chinese, great guidebooks that are helping get the word out to the rest of
country. When they think of “mountains” in China, the world about the incredible climbing opportunities China has to offer.
the images of mighty, sky-gouging peaks appear. To climb new lines in China’s west, climbers need
a combination of patience, tenacity, police-check- Support these climbers and guidebook writers by purchasing and down-
But what China is ripe for is a rock revolution in point-passing, and a good dose of tolerance for loading their guidebooks. Your support goes towards making the China
traditional climbing and alpine rock climbing, uncertainty. That being said, the rewards that hide climbing community grow! (Click the thumbnails and links to download or
especially in its vast western regions. So little has high on the Tibetan Plateau, the alpine lands of purchase guidebooks.)
been explored, and with focus being directed at the Qinghai, and the forests and deserts of Xinjiang
country’s many mountains or seemingly limitless are more than you could ever imagine as a fitting Climb China, 1st edition
limestone sport cliffs, there is very little known both reward for striking into the unknown. by: Ana Pautler, Kevin Wojton, and Karen Thang
within China and outside the country of what lies in - China’s traveling climber’s guidebook, including sections for everywhere
store for traditional climbing. This topo/guidebook is meant to provide you with from Beijing to Hong Kong and from Guoliang to Getu
a preview of what is out there, and hopefully it
What the Wild West Team brings you is merely a can get you psyched to craft your own ambitious Available for purchase at Climb China’s website
sampling of the vast possibilities China has to offer. adventure in the Middle Kingdom!
There is so much new rock in China that one sum- Dali Area Climbing (available soon)
mer spent exploring can uncover only a tiny fraction Climb safe. Climb Hard. by: Dane Schellenberg
of one percent of what is actually out there. - Will include guides to Shimenguan, Shuanglang Crags
The Wild West China Team: , Daliwood bouldering, and Shaxi bouldering
What lies out there is an abundance of new rock: Ryder, Mike, Ana, Raúl, and Dan
Daocheng Bouldering, 2nd edition
by: Michael Dobie
- Includes trad climbing and alpine objectives in western Sichuan Province,
featuring Zhajinjiabo, Tu’er Shan, and some of
the high peaks of the Litang-Batang valley and around Zhajinjiabo

Available for Purchase from Mike’s website

Keketuohai Climbing Routebook (2015 edition)

by: Ola Przybysz
- Includes routes established in Keketuohaicanyon up until
summer/fall 2014

Available for download at the Itinerant Climbers Collective website

Liming Rock, 4th edition (Chinese and English)

by: Michael Dobie, translated by: Zhoulei
- The definitive guide to the trad climbing capital of Asia.
- Includes over 200 routes and 300 pitches.

Available for purchase from Michael’s website

Also available for purchase of 120 RMB at the Faraway Guesthouse in

Liming village
10 11
 Access Overview
For points in western and northwestern Yunnan For points in Qinghai Province: North
Province:
- Flights will take you Xining, Qinghai’s
- Flights will take you to the Kunming, provincial capital.
Yunnan’s provincial capital
- Buses and charter vans will take you to smaller
- Regional flights will take you to convenient, acces- locations like Qinghai Lake, Nangqian
sible start points in west Yunnan, most , and Nianbaoyuze.
commonly Dali and Lijiang .

- Rail and bus lines will also easily take you by

ground from Kunming to Dali and Lijiang. Buses
will also go to Deqin/Shangri-La
, the biggest town at the foot of the Meili Xue-
shan.

- Smaller vans will take you to more remote destina-

tions like Liming and Balagezong
.

For points in western Sichuan Province: For points in Xinjiang Province:

- International flights will take you to Chengdu - Flights will take you to Urumqi,
, Sichuan’s provincial capital. Xinjiang’s provincial capital.

- Easy ground transportation (usually buses) takes - Major bus and train lines will connect you to
you to any points as far west as Ya’an, the smaller cities like Altay and Beitun
foot of the mountains of Sichuan. .

- Smaller/charter buses and vans will take you deep - Buses and vans will connect you from cities like
into ethnically Tibetan territory in the Sichuan Altay and Beitun to smaller destinations/climbing
Kham/mountainous regions of western Sichuan (e.g. destinations like Fuyun and Keketuohai
Aba, Batang , Daocheng, Ganzi , respectively.
, Litang/, and Nianbaoyuze/).

12 13
 Hazards and Access Issues in Western These checkpoints are usually staffed by the po-
lice/jingcha, the non-traffic law enforce- Welcome to a freak snowstorm in Ganzi county,
China ment arm of the multi-department police force in Sichuan... in July!
China. However, there are times–usually during
It may come with little surprise that being a foreign-
Tibetan religious festivals and holidays–during
er in China draws stares and eager–if strange–fas-
which you will encounter SWAT police
cination from Chinese hosts. This effect becomes
or even the soldiers from the People’s
amplified the further west you travel (the infamous
Liberation Army (PLA; )
“Laowai Show”) , especially as the areas
running the checkpoints.
you visit become increasingly Tibetan or Uyghur and
Kazakh. This means the region including the western
Things to remember when encountering a check-
half of Sichuan, most of Qinghai, and all of Xinjiang.
point:
Tibet is not included in this case because it is closed
to foreigners unless those foreigners are traveling
- Usually, checpoints appear at major crossroads
with a government-approved tour guide service.
in junction towns within predominantly Ti-
There is a host of issues you must prepare for when
betan or Uyghur regions. This region includes:
making the crossing deep into mountainous terrain
northwest Yunnan (points north and west of
in these provinces. Here are a few important issues to
Shangri-La), western Sichuan (points west of
prepare for; do not let these dissuade you. Have your
Kangding), southwestern Qinghai (points west
paperwork sorted before you get there, and you will
and southwest of Xining), small parts of western
usually pass the obstacles without much issue.
Gansu, all of Xinjiang, and all of Tibet (usually
off-limits to foreigners).

- Do not try and circumvent these checkpoints.

There are few roads in the mountainous west of - For very remote destinations (e.g. Contradiction The conditions are wildly different. You may be fly-
China. Finding loopholes around authority, while Spire and Nianbaoyuze), there are no real police ing 100+ km/hr down a country highway to a point
commonplace in Chinese culture, is not advised stations to register with out in the sticks. Keep a at which the highway suddenly ends, leaving you to
if you are a foreigner traveling in a heavily scruti- low profile if you plan to take this course, and seek drive along a dirt road that turns your vehicle into a
nized area. It will give authorities a reason to hunt a campsite that does not intrude on locals. bucking bronco.
Police will occasionally
you down and kick you out of the area or worse,
check up on you when the country. Road Conditions Altitude
you venture deep into
China’s interior - Have your paperwork ready. This includes you Western China is by and large, a network of high Most folks accessing the high mountains and rock
and your team’s passports with valid visas. Do mountain ranges, high-altitude grasslands, and faces of west China will elect to begin their journey
Registration/Dengji/ steep, narrow, winding river gorges. The nation- by flying into Chengdu (~400 meters above sea
your research ahead of time and have a few ran-
dom hotels listed at your destination that you can al highway system is slowly level). Chengdu is basically the last big metropoli-
Technically, foreigners are always supposed to reg- expanding its network westward. However, these tan area as you enter the Tibetan Plateau. Be wary
ister wherever they are while within the borders of tell the checkpoint officials, should they ask. You
projects are massive, often cutting hundreds of of gaining altitude too quickly if you immediately
Mainland China. But police and military checkpoints can usually camp, especially in remote regions, bridges and tunnels over the course of a single depart west. In 24 hours, you can leave Chengdu
become more frequent the further west you travel, but they like to know you are staying at a
highway route. One consequence is that you will at fairly low altitude and suddenly find yourself at
especially into zones that are predominantly Tibetan registered location. often find yourself often driving on rudimentary 3000 meters. Acclimatize well once you enter the
or Uyghur/Kazakh. This frequency is a part of the pavement or pot hole-filled, dirt construction Plateau, or have Diamox/Acetazolamide handy for
central government’s strategy to exert its influence - At your destination, register with the local
police at the town police station. Usually in small roads that parallel these yet-to-be-completed your team if you have a member with a history of
far beyond its stronghold in Beijing and the east of highways. You can expect a mix of good and hor- altitude sickness.
the country. While you might assume that this area towns, especially ones that are popular for out-
rendous roads. A lot of the wild roads come when
predominantly refers to Tibet, these tightly controlled door sports (e.g. Keketuohai), the police might you first enter the Tibetan Plateau from the east Weather
areas extend into northwest Yunnan, western Sichuan, (emphasis on “might”) not mind you camping so (from Chengdu going west), and when you are
most of Qinghai, small bits of Gansu, all of Tibet, and long as they know exactly where you are. linking mountain ranges once on the Plateau (e.g. The Tibetan Plateau is cold basically year-round.
all of Xinjiang. Litang to Ganzi, Ganzi to Nianbaoyuze, exiting Summer, the season folks from the US usually
Nianbaoyuze for destinations in Xinjiang, etc.). associate with alpine rock, is often full of heavy rain
14 15
 storms, a consequence of the monsoon cycle that
affects east Asia, Southeast Asia, and India. Iron-
ically, the driest season is the dead of winter, but
temperatures then often force you to bundle up and
hunker down, with temperatures regularly drop-
ping to -20ºC. In the summer, temperatures vary
wildly, switching from t-shirt weather to rain shell
and puffy weather in the matter of an afternoon. Be
sure to have cold weather gear and have a sturdy,
well-waterproofed tent. Do not be surprised if you
get hail or snow!

A final note (of a happier variety)

With all of these warnings, it may strike you that,

at first, west China is an insane place to visit in the
name of climbing, and on some levels, you would be One of the countless
right. It is a bit crazy to strike out into such a bizarre, high-altitude limestone
distant land. But that is the true joy of climbing features that dot the
in China: you get to forge onto ridges and faces of
landscape in Ganzi
beautiful walls that no one has ever climbed on be-
fore! Get out there and make your story! county, Sichuan. At
5000 meters, they can
be plastered with snow
in the summer!

July in Ganzi county, Sichuan

Province. The summits can still
get sudden raging snowstorms
in the middle of summer.

Mike Dobie climbs the redpoint crux on

The Viper (5.13a/b), one of Keketuohai’s
hardest established routes.

16 17
18
offwidth in Liming
Yunnan

Raúl Saúco climbs the beastly

80-meter Black Hole (“5.9+”)
North

Lijiang: The nearest population

Liming: China’s trad center to Liming; served by a re-
mecca; serviced by gional airport, rail, and bus lines
hired vans from Lijiang

Dali: A great destination in and of

itself and a good jumping off point
for Liming if tickets for Lijiang are
Kunming: provincial
sold out or expensive capital; nearest inter-
national flight desti-
nation to Liming
19
 Yunnan Liming Dan Jerke climbs off the anchor
Getting There
Yunnan is one of China’s hidden jems. While most Liming, translating as “dawn” or “daybreak,” is on P2 of Sinological (5.11a) The trip to Liming requires investing a bit of time,
foreigners spend their time in the east in China’s China’s trad capital. With towering sandstone es- during the route’s FFA. but it is one of the least committing destinations to
massive metropolises, those who venture out to carpments between 100-200 meters high, Liming get to when compared with destinations in Sich-
Yunnan are rewarded with a vision of China that is has become the country’s Indian Creek/Zion, of uan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, described later in the
unlike most people’s impression when you say the sorts. It is THE place to go in the entire country book.
word “China.” Yunnan is the most bio-diverse and to plug gear. With routes ranging from 5.8–5.13+,
ethnically diverse province in the entire country. it is both the place for casual vacation climbing Regardless if you travel to Dali or Lijiang, you will
Minorities compose upwards of 34% of its total and for developing cutting-edge trad routes. It be taking a van on the Dali-Lijiang highway (G214)
population and account for nearly half of China’s is also one of the most beautiful and accessible to the exit for Shangri-La about 15km shy of the
officially recognized minorities. places to dirtbag in all of China. Unlike many of highway’s terminus in Lijiang proper. Vans will
the country’s other national parks, Liming is a either take you to Shigu or Zhongxing
What really makes this province special is the wild, smaller-scale park that is more well-run in terms via the S225. From either of these loca-
varied geography within its borders, from beautiful of cleanliness and park management. The place tions you can easily hitch a ride to Liming. If you
terraced farmland to lush jungles, deep gorges, and still has not been completely overrun by domes- are lucky, you can catch early-morning buses or
huge glaciated mountains. It is precisely this terrain tic tourists that flood from the cities into other vans leaving directly from Dali or Lijiang straight
that makes the area so appealing for vertical pur- famous natural sites around the country (e.g. to Liming.
suits. Yunnan does not miss out on the sport climb- Siguniang, Zhangjiajie, and Yangshuo). Liming
ing that is sweeping the rest of China; limestone is possibly the only place in the entire country Getting back to places like Lijiang generally follow
abounds far and wide. But there is so much potential where you can find the freedom of climbing simi- the same pattern, but if you have you scheduling in
for many types of climbing on different rock: gneiss lar to the 1970’s Stonemaster generation order and you wake up early, there is usually a van
sport climbing and bouldering in and around Dali, that leaves directly from Liming village to Lijiang
limestone sport near Kunming, sandstone trad in If you are looking for a complete guide to Liming, at 7:30am.
Liming, and high-altitude alpinism in the northwest. pick up the Liming Rock (4th edition) guidebook,
researched and written by one of Liming’s original
To keep things succinct, Yunnan is one of Chi- pioneering climbers, Mike Dobie. You can find it
na’s best-kept secrets for both casual traveling and on his website here (www.exploreclimbrepeat.
climbing, with more climbing potential than can be com), or you can pick it up at the Faraway House,
satisfied in a lifetime! the local climber’s hostel in Liming village for 120
RMB (~$19).

A panoramic view of the main valley in Liming as

seen from the top of the multipitch classic Back to
the Primitive (5.11d, 8 pitches) at the Pillars/Prim-
itive wall. Across the valley are (from left to right)
The Holidays, Space Mountain, Orange Sky, Creta-
ceous Area, and the Dinner Wall.
20 21
 Amenities in Liming Jerry, one of Liming’s The Watchtower
For climbers, there are two primary places to stay
dog mascots and The Watchtower became one of Liming’s new a fun crag to have a gander at once you have knocked
on-the-cheap. The first is the Faraway House, a probably the best crag crags as of summer 2015 alongside the Censored off your Liming classics at the Pillars, Primitive, and
funky guest house with a bit of artsy ambiance run dog in Asia and Uncensored Walls. Though it seems short and Dinner Wall areas.
by a local couple in Liming village. It is also the hidden from town, it is a fairly prominent feature
home of Jerry and Ding Dong, Liming’s mischievous when viewed up close, as the distance and aspect From Liming town, you have two options.
but lovable dog mascots. Hostel beds run 30 RMB conspire to keep it hidden when viewed from
per night. The hostel also the only place to purchase Liming village. It currently has a lone, 3-pitch - (Moderate/Indirect Approach, 1.5-2 hours): Walk out
hard copies of the Liming guidebook. multipitch with potential for more routes around the front gate of the park and walk for a kilometer
its base. Though it is a bit distant from town until you reach a large concrete bridge on your right
The national park that runs Liming also has lodging compared to other crags, the sense of adventure where there is a construction zone (soon to become a
of various prices around the village. For climbers, climbing is a big appeal. It has one of the most hotel). Walk past the workers’ house and barracks up
the best option is the park hostel, clunkily named commanding views of the main Liming valley out towards the hillside. Up the hillside near where there
the “Liming Tourism Service Center” to Laojunshan ( 4402m). The Watchtower is evidence of excavation, there should be a fairly
. Hostel beds run 20 RMB per night. is also a great choice for a wintertime multipitch wide dirt/sand trail. Follow this trail all the way up to
The hostel compound is very nice with bathrooms outing, since it receives late morning sun and a wide terrace where there is a lone farmhouse com-
and showers, a courtyard, and a back patio that is remains in the sun for almost the entire day. The pound. One Dragon Buttress is the conical formation
one of the very few places in Liming that receives Watchtower is a great way to tick a great Liming on the left. The Watchtower is on the right and has
early morning sun on the valley floor. multipitch and take in one of the best scenes in all a lone buttress protruding out from the rest of the
of west China. formation.
Eating out is super cheap in Liming. The village has
a number of small, locally owned restaurants that Head towards the farmhouse, contouring along the
Getting There backside of a gully that separates One Dragon from
make your standard Chinese country fare, which is
often Sichuan cuisine-inspired. Breakfasts can run the Watchtower. Before you reach the farmhouse, you
The cliff is up by One Dragon Buttress and is
you anywhere from 8-12 RMB ($1.26-$1.89) per will hit a small wooden outbuilding that is the elec-
south-facing, which makes it a great option to get
person; lunches 8-20 RMB ($1.26-$3.16) per person; tricity transfer station to the house. From here, there
plenty of sun in the winter; the valleys in Liming
and dinners 20-40 RMB($3.16-$6.31) per person should be a secondary path taking a hard left into the
stay rather cold in the winter due to the limited
depending on your group’s appetite. There is also a woods.
sun they get from the narrow nature of the val-
late-night barbecue stand along with an assortment ley walls. The Watchtower is a lone buttress that
of breakfast food stalls that pop up in the morning. Follow this path as it goes into and switchbacks up
seems rather low when viewed from Liming town,
a small gully. You will hit another wider dirt path
but as you approach, it becomes apparent that the
junction. Turn right. From there, walk about 50 feet
deceivingly long approach as well as the buttress’
until you see a faint climber’s trail contouring up the
slight off-facing position from the town conspire
hill off the left side of the path. Follow this beneath a
to keep it relatively hidden. Regardless, it will be
The side of Liming valley opposite the
Dinner Wall. (from left to right) Pandora,
the Southern Oracle, the Primitive Area,
Pinecrest Buttress, the Pillars, and the
Painted Wall.

22 23
 Sinological as viewed from the approach

small series of low conglomerate cliffs and turn di- and over a bulge (past the site of a fallen tree that
rectly uphill once you pass them. Go directly uphill will clean up with more traffic) to a bolted belay in
until you reach the cliff, and then turn left. Sinologi- a wide corner and a narrow platform belay stance.
cal will be on the left in a right-facing corner. (5.10b/c, 25m)

- (Harder/ Direct Approach, 1 hr-1.5 hrs): From Lim- P2: Step right from the belay into a flared crack
ing Village, find the schoolhouse and the large con- with finger jams in back. The crack will again widen
crete play area/basketball court outside. Go down into an OW for a short bit before depositing you
the stairs and cross the basketball court, heading for on slightly lower-angle terrain. Place some good
the river. Go downhill to the river and pick the eas- gear and exit a pod. Climb out the corner and onto
iest way across. Once on the other bank, go up the a wildly exposed triangular face. Find some thin,
embankment and turn left once the ground flattens. marginal gear (not obvious) before firing the ex-
Continue on this path until you are directly under a posed moves out the triangular face and up through
set of rudimentary power lines. These lines lead to a small overhang before mantling onto some dusty
the farmhouse mentioned above. Follow the power ledges. Climb up onto one of the most scenic ter-
lines up a steep hillside on the easiest native/game races in all of Liming. Belay bolts will be on the face
trail until you reach the lone farm compound. If you directly across from the pitch’s top-out. (5.9+, 15m)
must cross through–strongly advised against doing Ryder Stroud climbs the
so–please be respectful to the local Lisu family who P3: From the terrace, start at the splitter crack the crux pitch during the FFA
lives there! Get to the far side of the compound and slices down the buttress of the Watchtower to the of Sinological (5.11a) at
locate the same electrical transfer station outbuild- climber’s right of the bolts on P2. Bouldery, thin, the Watchtower in Liming.
ing mentioned in the Indirect Approach description. finger-sized jams right off the deck (crux) will yield
From that point, the routes are the same. a few flaring jams and then a nice secure section
of hand-sized crack before widening to 4, 5, and
Sinological 6 territory. Reach a big pod and a great rest, and
5.11a, 3 pitches, ~70 meters (bolt anchors) continue OW-ing your way passed various bulges
FA/FFA: Ryder Stroud and Dan Jerke (June 2015) and good stances, butterfly stacking your way onto
a few sloping ledges as the crack finally gives way to
P1: Start on a small terrace above a gnarled tree with lower-angle terrain. Belay on bolts where the crack
multiple small trunks. Begin up a corner hand crack forms a gully and take in the commanding panora-
until the crack suddenly wides into an OW. Some ma of Liming valley! (5.11a, 27m)
key face holds will save you from full-on groveling.
Reach a big rest ledge underneath where the corner Descent: Rap the bolts with a single 60m rope.
steepens. Continue up the corner until a #6-sized
pod appears, which quickly shuts into a finger tips Gear: X4s: double .2; Camalots: double .3-4,
crack. Power through a handful of steep moves to single or double 5
24 reach some steep hand jams. Follow the jams up 25
 Mike Dobie plugs a key X4 .2 cam as Another World
he enters the final boulder problem of 5.12+, 1 pitch, ~32 meters (bolt anchor)
FA: Dane Schellenberg and Reishi Kamoot (2012)
Another World (5.12+).
FFA: Mike Dobie (June 2015)

First established on aid in the middle of a huge

summer thunderstorm, Another World is a wildly Mike Dobie powers
overhung, crazy-exposed, pumpy, beautiful, light- through the final boulder
ning-bolt shaped crack on the right side of The Arch.
problem on his FFA of
You can reach this pitch by climbing the first two
pitches of Sword Ladder (5.8) to reach a ledge with Another World (5.12+).
bolts at the base of the crack. This route is also the
first pitch to Honeycomb Dome.

Approach pitch: Climb the first 2 pitches of Sword

Ladder (5.8), the left leaning crack and ledge system.
This pitch can be linked into a single, long, moderate
pitch to gain the ledge beneath the start of Another
World.

P1: Off the bolts on the ledge, climb down a bit

to reach a small, crimpy rail. Traverse this open-
ing boulder problem to gain the base of the crack
and commit to climbing without gear until you
are parallel with the belay before placing to avoid
send-killing rope drag. Continue towards an S-curve
The Dinner Wall Approach in the crack where it thins out to steep tight hands
and ring locks. Above, the crack will begin to open
The most iconic formation in Liming valley and Approximately 45 minutes. From Liming village, to wide hands until you reach an offwidth pod next
home of Liming’s very first route, Soul’s Awakening,walk down the road away from the front entrance to the old anchor established by the FA party. Find a
the Dinner Wall has some of the most classic routes to the park. If you are staying in the Faraway chicken wing rest and follow the offwidth to where
in Liming including Liming’s and China’s hardest, House, turn left out of the front door. Walk down it suddenly shuts. Exit the offwidth on wild, exposed
the Firewall pitch of the Flying Buttress (5.13d) and
the road for 7-10 minutes until you pass the finger locks and stave off the pump through the final
the Honeycomb Dome (5.13d), both freed by Austra- Anqini Scenic Lookout on your left, boulder problem to reach a glory jug. Reach up to
lian hardman Logan Barber. One particular forma- which is the approach to the Pillars and Primitive gain the ledge with a bolt anchor beneath the roof
tion, The Arch, is the most visible feature on the wall
Areas. On your right, you should see the Dinner crack of the Honeycomb Dome. This route can be
and has a high concentration of both moderate and Wall formation. Continue another minute down cleaned on lower from the anchors with a 70-meter
difficult routes. the road and follow a trail on the right side up past rope.
a huge fallen boulder. Follow native trails along the
For a complete description of The Arch and the Din- line of least resistance towards The Arch. You will Gear: X4s: single .2; Camalots: doubles .3-2, single 3
ner Wall formations, see Mike Dobie’s Liming Rock reach a small terrace where a sandy slope will exit
(4th edition). from the foliage to meet a flat area at the base of
The Arch formation.
The Arch
Towering over 80 meters from ground to roof, The
Arch has some of Liming’s cutting-edge routes,
including the Honeycomb Dome. It is also features
classics like Japanese Cowboy (5.12) and
26 The Warmup (5.10c). 27
 The Censored and Uncensored Walls Approach
Named in honor of the outrageous, raunchy, Travel up the west valley road for 3 km on the
gut-busting funny humor of late comedian Bill north side is a small valley with a house in front
Hicks, the Censored and Uncensored Walls channel of it. Both the Censored and Uncensored crags are
a little bit of Hicks’ humor into China. The Wild visible from the road. Head up a small trail on the
West team originally came up with the idea for the left side of the house around the back. Follow the
names after long car rides through the wilderness of trail through the chicken wire fence The local Lisu
the Chinese west, when time had to be passed with residents have given climbers permission to pass,
an acoustic mash-up of music from the Aquabats, but please respect their property and remember to
the Black Keys, and Tool alongside sets of Hicks’ close the fence! Follow the trail up the valley, con-
stand-up comedy performances. touring along the bottom of the gully and round-
ing a huge, overhung boulder nestled on the gully
With beautiful established routes and loads of po- floor to its right. After going up some “stairs” on
The Censored tential for both purely trad lines and bolted mixed the boulder there is a small trail that travels steeply
Wall as seen routes, these two crags have the potential to be easy- up the hill on the left for the Censored Wall and
from the to-access, high-quality crags in the main Liming right for the Uncensored Wall.
Uncensored Wall valley. Situated a mere 10-minute hike from the
main road, the Censored and Uncensored walls have If you turn left towards the Censored Wall, contour
possibly the shortest, easiest approach of any crag in up the path of least resistance until you reach the
Liming. cliff, turning left again and walking along a narrow
ledge through some small trees until the foliage
The team left having put up a handful of routes on relents and deposits you on a narrow but largely
the Censored Wall, with Mike Dobie and Ana Paut- open dirt ledge.
ler doing the bulk of the cleaning, first ascents, and
first free ascents. The Uncensored Wall was left for If you turn right towards the Uncensored Wall, aim
development in the fall 2015 season. for a small, vegetated cleft in the rock across from
where you turn left to reach the Censored Wall.
Scramble up that gully to reach a narrow rock
Approach to the Censored Wall (A) ledge beneath a huge roof.
and the Uncensored Wall (B).

Ana Pautler climbs the final

steep corner on Freedom to
Burn the Fucking Flag (5.11)
at the Censored Wall.

28 29
 1: The Freedom to Burn the Fucking Flag 4: I Like My Rockstars Dead!!!
5.11a, 1 pitch, ~37 meters (bolt anchor) 5.11, 1 pitch, ~25 meters (bolt anchor)
FA/FFA: Ana Pautler (June 2015) FA/FFA: Mike Dobie (June 2015)

This route has it all: steep hand jams, some wide- To the right of Swallowing Universes, find an
ness, slab moves, and even a pumpy lieback finale. orange face with a thin crack capped by an off-
Start up a right leaning crack that deposits you on width above. Climb the thin crack on the orange
a broad ledge. Move left on the ledge (use dou- face before making a long, tenuous reach onto
ble-length sling to avoid rope drag) until you are a slab to the right. Follow the face up to join the
beneath a steep crack capped by a bulge with some widening crack above. Wide hands to fists will give
wideness above. Turn the bulge on wide hands and way to slightly overhung offwidth. Escape on some
fists to find a steep fingers lieback up a beautiful face holds before rejoining the crack above as it
corner that leads to the bolt anchor. This pitch is ~37 cuts left into an forearm-burning traverse to gain a
meters, so a 70-meter rope is mandatory and will ledge with bolts.
just make it down with rope stretch.
Gear: C3s: single 1; Camalots: double .3-5
Gear: single X4s: single .1, double .2; Camalots:
double .3, single .4-.5, double .75, triple 1, double 2, 5: Throw Your Legs Around My Shoulders and
single 3 Let Me Wear You Like a Feedbag
5.10+/5.11a, 1 pitch, ~37 meters (bolt anchor)
2: [Potential] FA/FFA: Mike Dobie (June 2015)

Climb to the same ledge mentioned in the descrip- Awesome climbing and great, full-value fun that
tion for The Freedom to Burn the Fucking Flag, everyone wants to be a part of. Start right of I Like
except climb the crack on the right side of the ledge. My Rockstars Dead!!! beneath a flared, right-facing
corner capped by a steep flake. Climb up an thin,
3: Swallowing Universes and Wiping Galaxies Off slabby face to reach the flared slot. Make some
of My Chest funky moves to burrow into and up the slot un-
5.11, 1 pitch, ~20 meters (bolt anchor) til you reach a rounded ledge beneath the flake.
FA/FFA: Mike Dobie (June 2015) An enduro section of steep, thin hand jams will
bring you to its top, where wandering cracks work
About 5 meters right of The Freedom to Burn the up and right along the face. Make some exciting,
Censored Wall, route lines: Fucking Flag, start up the left-facing corner that wid- exposed moves following these wandering cracks
ens into an offwidth at a roof. Some thin, commit- to find the bolt anchor near a series of small roofs.
1: The Freedom to Burn the Fucking Flag (5.11a) ting moves in the initial corner will yield a sweep left Exciting, varied climbing! The pitch height makes
2: [Potential] in the crack as it widens. Jam the widening crack a 70-meter rope mandatory, with the rope just
3: Swallowing Universes and Wiping Galaxies Off My Chest (5.10+) and turn the roof bulge to find a wide crack above. reaching the ground with rope stretch.
4: I Like My Rockstars Dead!!! (5.11) Follow slightly more moderate terrain to the bolts.
5: Throw Your Legs Around My Shoulders and Let Me Wear You Like a Feedbag (5.10+/5.11a) Gear: single .1 X4, single .2 X4 (or C3 equivalent);
6: (open project) Gear: small nuts (#3 or #4), single 1 C3; Camalots: Camalots: double .3-.75, triple 1-2, single 3-4
7: Tetragrammaton (5.13?; project) double .3-.5, single .75, double 1-4, single 6
6: (Open Project)

7: Tetragrammaton (5.13? project)

30 31
 A view from the anchor: The Black Hole
Raúl Saúco works his way “5.9+” (RDS/Raúl Decimal System), 2 pitches,
into the bigger-than-6-cam ~80 meters (bolt anchor)
territory on the FA of The FA: Raúl Saúco (June 2015)
Black Hole (“5.9+”).
Likely the burliest, full-on, most sustained route in
all of Liming, The Black Hole will be a proud line to
free. With a relentless 80-meter route spanning crack
widths from larger-than-6 size down to 00 and 000
C3, this route will test your ability to do all con-
ceivable types of crack climbing while fighting back
all-out exhaustion from one of the longest brawlfests
of a route. In short, this route is a beast.

Approach pitch: Scramble up the lower-angle

terrain directly beneath The Black Hole. Some folks
may want to rope up. Belay at the big pine tree on
the ledge.

P1: Begin beneath the massive, left-leaning off-

width. A chimney will bring you up through a huge,
triangular pod feature to reach the offwidth above.
Hope you have your stamina saved for the upcom-
ing fight. Fight up a short bit of 6-sized offwidth
until the crack widens ever so slightly for 6 cams to
become useless. The next stretch is protected by 4
Primitive Area bolts, though they are healthily spaced out. After the
bolts an anchor has been installed halfway on a ledge
Though the area has been long-established and has bridge. Slog up the stairs for 5-10 minutes until about 40m from the terrace below. Traversing to this
numerous Liming classics on its faces alongside you pass a huge orange, slabby boulder on your anchor will allow the climb to be split into 2 pitches.
adjacent areas like Pinecrest Buttress and the Pil- left. The Split Boulder, a boulder cleaved into two (5.9++++, 40m)
lars, the Primitive area still has new route potential. halves with an offwidth boulder problem in the
Standing across the valley from the iconic Dinner middle will be in the bushes off to you right. Reach P2: Regain the offwidth and climb to a bolt. Contin-
Wall, it is another well-known formation that looms the platform just above the orange slab boulder ue up ~15m of low-angle 6-cam terrain before the
over Liming village. One of its proudest lines, the where you will see a faint climber’s trail exiting the rock turns into steep 5-cam terrain in a yellow band
monstrous Black Hole, is a line that is so huge and so staircase on its left side. Exit the stairs and follow of stone. The crack will continue to narrow through
visible, you can see it from town. See Mike Dobie’s the trail up until you meet the cliff. There will be all conceivable cam sizes until it disappears. Traverse
Liming Rock (4th edition) for more information on a fork in the trail earlier with a left branch taking left on slopers to regain a seam with good pods and
the Primitive area. you out towards conglomerate cliffs. DO NOT go mantle up into the namesake Black Hole. If you Ana Pautler films
this way, instead opting for the right side which made it this far: congratulations, you have completed from the anchor as
takes you uphill. Upon reaching the cliff, turn
Approach
one of Liming’s most absurd routes. (5.9++++, 30m) Raúl Saúco climbs
left and follow the trail as it rounds the Pinecrest
Buttress, taking care of the precipitous drop-off on the fingertips boul-
Gear: one draw and runners to clip the bolts; C3s:
From Liming village, turn away from the park en- your left. Once you are around the Buttress, you der problem atop the
single 000; Camalots: single .5-3, double 4-5, single
trance gate. From the Faraway House, turn left out will be in the Primitive Area. or double 6 montrous 60-meter
of the front door. Walk 7-10 minutes down the road offwidth on The
until you reach the Anqini Scenic Lookout NB: This route has seen under more recent develop- Black Hole (“5.9+”)
, where there will be a stone turnout on
your left. Descend the stairs at the right side of the
ment in Fall 2015 from Raul, the first ascentionist. during the route’s FA.
This information is liable to change soon!
turnout and follow the cobblestone path across the
32 33
 Sichuan
Dan Jerke edges out onto the highline
between the iconic Rabbit Ears at Tu’er
Shan right as a raging monsoon-season
thunderstorm engulfs the mountain.

North
Jiuzhi: nearest population
center toNianbaoyuze

Ganzi: huge potential for

mountaineering and alpine Chengdu: provincial capital of
rock on limestone big walls Sichuan and hub for all provincial
and international flights

Litang: nearest accessible

population center to
Contradiction Spire

region containing
Haizi Shan Preserve
and Tu’er Shan

Daocheng: nearest acces-

region containing
sible population center to
Contradiction
Haizi Shan Preserve and
Spire and
Tu’er Shan (along with
Zhajinjiabo
Litang); area contains
Rubuchaka

34 35
 Area Overview Haizi Shan
and Rubuchaka
Rubuchaka : A great established boul-
dering area with endless potential for bouldering and Located at ~4000m, Haizi Shan Preserve is an
single pitch trad climbing. The roped climbing is virtu- incredible location to boulder and almost touch
ally untapped and resembles City of Rocks style crag- the clouds. For climbers coming from the east or
ging. More information on established bouldering can lower-altitude areas, Haizi Shan is a great place to
be found in Mike Dobie’s Daocheng Bouldering (2nd start climbing and get acclimatized. Boulders and
edition). single-pitch walls roll out across the high plains
as far as the eye can see, with only a smattering of
Haizi Shan Preserve bouldering area: routes in tiny sectors of the total area. It is guessed
This region off highway S216/217 is covered in Mike that this whole area, being surrounded by massive
Dobie’s guidebook on western Sichuan. Though the 5000-6000m glaciated mountains, was once a huge
Views usually not associated with book is titled Daocheng Bouldering, it also has a great ice field between the mountains that deposited
the name “China:” traditional deal of information of multipitch in Zhajinjiabo as well these boulders and left them as an epitaph once the
Tibetan homes and farm dot the as mountaineering potential on nearby peaks. ice melted away.
landscape above deep, verdent val-
leys and beneath soaring peaks. Tu’er Shan/Rabbit Mountain : A glacially Camping is fairly easy: just camp anywhere among
carved cirque at ~4500-4700m along highway S216/217 the boulders, preferably closer to the small rivers
between Daocheng and Litang, Tu’er Shan is the most that run across these high altitude grass lands.
accessible, user-friendly alpine cragging playground. But as a consideration for the future of Haizi Shan
With walls offering 1-3 pitch climbing as well as bolts bouldering, do your best as you would in the Unit-
Sichuan for a high line across the iconic Rabbit Ears at the top ed States or Europe to minimize your impact on
of the ridge line, Tu’er Shan is the place to go for easy this fragile alpine environment. Though very few
Sichuan is a province of two vastly divergent peoples, and Yunnan provinces. But Sichuan is where the development. Views on a clear day will allow you to see people venture out into this part of Sichuan–even
cultures, and terrain. Sichuan’s east–everything from divide is the most stark. Leaving Chengdu, it is the mighty Minya Konka/Gongga Shan (7556m) and fewer this far into the Haizi Shan Preserve–Chinese
Ya’an and Chengdu and points hard to imagine that on the other side of this es- Genyen (6204m). and foreign tourists are starting to take notice that
east are low-altitude on the Chengdu Plain, at about carpment, roads are few and far between; towns are this location is a beautiful, off-the-beaten-path di-
400 meters–is a region overwhelmingly populated by separated by hundreds of kilometers; and the way Contradiction Spire : A group of 3 gran- version and photo-op, adding impact to the already
Han Chinese. However, these two cities are basical- of life up in these regions is in many ways similar ite spires located in the Xiasai massif fragile high alpine ecosystem. Keeping a low impact
ly the boundary line marking where Han cultural to how Tibetans have lived for centuries as farmers, between the towns of Litang and Batang along highway will keep a healthy margin for Haizi Shan to remain
dominance ends and Tibetan people and culture yak ranchers, and monks. G318. This massif is fairly accessible from the road, re- beautiful and supply climbers with multiple life-
begin. Once you cross the enormous escarpment of quiring only a few hours’ trek across grasslands to reach times’ worth of stellar bouldering!
mountains west of Chengdu, you have effectively Bits of tourism and modernity have trickled to the base camp. Only one of the three spires has 2 established
entered another world, home of Tibetans western half of Sichuan, but only in small quanti- routes to the top. This spire group has much more pote- Rubuchaka, on the other hand, is a weathered gran-
and some of their most famous and notorious ties. Leaving little tourist towns like Daocheng nial for 4-6 pitch alpine multipitch both moderate and ite cirque just a few kilometers outside the tourist
tribes, including the formidable warrior Gholoks. , Litang , or Ganzi difficult. town of Daocheng near a series of locally run hot
The escarpment itself is quite an impressive physical will put you in a time machine and bring you back springs. It has an unlimited supply of high-quality
boundary with gorges thousands of meters deep, to a bucolic, unspoilt landscape many would not Little Squampton: A smaller granite dome to the west granite boulder problems and some single-pitch
steep, forrested mountain faces, and glacier-capped associate with China. of Contradiction Spire. Named for its resemblance to and two-pitch trad outings. See Mike Dobie’s
peaks topping out at the 7556-meter (24,936 ft.) the Chief in Squamish only miniature, Little Squampton guidebook Daocheng Bouldering for information
Minya Konka/Gongga Shan . Part of this landscape includes an innumerable was a location that received only a bit of development. of established bouldering areas. There is a single,
number of areas and features that have yet to see With beautiful camping along the lake, Little Squamp- roped route, Ana Pautler’s 5.11 Laoban Hot Spring
Once you reach Kangding and points west rock climbing activity. What we have captured on ton is one of the few places on the Plateau where you Fiesta with plenty of potential on that cliff and
of this mountainous divide, you have made it onto this trip is just a snapshot that will hopefully en- can gather enough wood to build your own camp fire. others for roped climbing. The single pitch here has
the massive high-altitude plain of the Tibetan Pla- courage folks to get out to western Sichuan. However, the climbing development here is more in- a lot of potential for cragging akin to City of Rocks
teau. While most folks are familiar with Tibet being volved than its high altitude neighbors, requiring more in Idaho.
the homeland of Tibetans, Tibetan people populate route prep before routes are send-ready. It is home to a
regions far outside the political boundaries of Tibet, lone route, a 5.10+/5.11- sustained offwidth established
36 extending into Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, by Ana Pautler and Nico Cáceres. 37
 Special Considerations Raúl Saúco projects one of the infinite
For more information on established routes and
number of high quality boulder problems
Altitude: Folks arriving to Haizi Shan as their first
destination should watch their reaction to altitude. development potential, get a complete view of Haizi at the high-altitude bouldering area of
Moderate signs of altitude sickness include dizzi- Shan, and download Mike Dobie’s Daocheng Boul- the Haizi Shan Preserve, Daocheng
ness, headache, nausea, lethargy, and loss of appe- dering guidebook (2nd edition). countuy, Sichuan.
tite. Altitude Sickness (also known as Acute Moun-
tain Sickness or AMS) symptoms include those for
moderate altitude sickness and may also include
difficulty sleeping, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and
severe headache. Motor skills deterioration and loss
of balance are signs of severe altitude sickness and
require immediate evacuation to lower altitude

Summer monsoon weather: Summer is the most hos-

pitable time to be at this altitude. But bear in mind
that this part of Sichuan is also monsoon-
affected. There may be periods during which you
get blind-sided by rain and watch as a deluge pours
down for the rest of the day. Fear not! Hunker down
in your tent and wait for the storm to pass! Odds are
you will be granted with another window to scam-
per out and boulder again!

Ryder Stroud climbs Ana

Pautler’s new route in
Rubuchaka, Daocheng
county, Sichuan.

Dan Jerke spots while Nico Cáceres climbs Panyaneering,

a technical, slab boulder problem in Haizi Shan Preserve.
38 39
 Tu’er Shan/Rabbit Mountain Mike Dobie climbs the FA of the Left
1: The Tu’er Traverse
Low 5th class-5.9, variable pitches, ~400 meters only general rule is that staying right will yield
Ear (5.10), ascending one of the iconic FA/FFA: Raúl Saúco, Nico Cáceres, and Dan Jerke steeper, more exposed climbing over the west face,
monoliths on the Tu’er Shan ridge. (July 2015) while staying left will allow you to bypass sketchy
Sitting near the 4000m+ mountain pass along
sections and possibly rejoin the ridge. If staying
highway S216/217, Tu’er Shan is a striking ridge line
This route is a great exploration of the main ridge of right, there will be a key choice of bailing left or
of granite walls, blocks, and boulders overlooking
Tu’er Shan, and it can be committing as you want it continuing on the ridge directly. This choice will
the alpine grasslands of western Sichuan. The ridge
to be. The west face of Tu’er Shan, the one you view be marked with a smooth slab leading up a blunt
is capped with a stunning pair of monolithic spires
from the road, is precipitous, with steep walls and arete. Going up this blunt arête is easy (5.6-5.7 slab
about 15 meters tall that form the iconic rabbit ears
huge blocks that create gendarmes when sticking off climbing), but falling is not an option with the west
for which the mountain is named.
the top of the ridge. However, the east face is much face dropping off immediately to your right.
shorter and lower angle, quickly mellowing out on
The whole mountain, which is more a series of walls
the grassy highlands of the Tibetan Plateau. Continue up slowly rising ridge to the proper high
and ridge lines rather than a single, defined peak, is
point of the ridge, which will quickly descend to
a rock climbing playground. With straightforward
From Base Camp Lake, walk towards the Rabbit meet a grassy gully on the far (south) side of the
access from the road, high-quality rock, and a great
Ears, trending left up a low-angle gully to reach a ridge. Follow this gully down to bring you back to
base camp with water access, Tu’er Shan has the po-
ledge system to the left of the ears. Begin climbing base camp.
tentially to become a destination for rock climbing
and traversing up the ledges, staying on the main
and cragging in an alpine environment–a great way
face until a steep corner crack opens up just be- Gear: This route is solo-able, but those wishing to
to get mileage in and rock climb in preparation for
neath the ears. Make some jams (upwards of 5.9) rope up can bring a 30m cord and a single rack
larger objectives in Sichuan.
to gain the top of the block above. From here, 3rd
and 4th class terrain will take you to underneath
Access the Rabbit Ears. Once passed the Rabbit Ears, the
ridge devolves into a choose-own-adventure. The
This area along highway S216/S217 is pretty deso-
late, with only a few structures such as temples dot-
ting the landscape on the road between Daocheng
to the south and Litang to the north. Camping is
accessible almost anywhere, though always remem-
ber to keep a low profile. Access to Tu’er Shan itself
Tu’er Wall
is unfettered, as it is not a regulated tourist destina-
tion or near any local Tibetan settlement. The area
at the base of the mountain is perfect for basecamp-
ing, with plenty of flat spots for tents, a clean water
source, and a huge overhanging boulder for the
camp kitchen/hangout spot. Playground Wall
Getting There
From Daocheng, take the S217 north towards the of prayer flags. You should be able to see Tu’er Shan
Haizi Shan Preserve and Litang. From Litang, take across the valley to the east. You can elect to park
the S217 south. If you are coming from Daocheng here and begin the approach, but starting at the
(most likely, since it is the only town in the imme- pass involves some elevation loss into the valley
diate vicinity with an airport and frequent ground before you gain it back.
transportation to larger towns), you will cross 2
passes on your way there, with Genyen (6000m+) Alternatively, you can continue over the pass to
visible in the distance to your west, if you are lucky. reach kilometer marker 69. You will need to drive
You will cross a third pass at ~4000 meters, where across the pass and drive downhill until you see
there will be a large parking turnout on your right a switchback with a turnout on your left side (if
and a sign for Tu’er Shan alongside a huge collection going downhill).
40 41
 2: The Left Ear climbing turns enjoyable, but still technical, pass- 5: Let the Rabbits Wear Glasses
5.10, ~15 meters (bolt anchor) ing 4 more bolts to the top with a bolted belay. 5.10+, 2 pitches, ~60 meters
FA/FFA: Mike Dobie (July 2015) FA/FFA: Mike Dobie, Ana Pautler, Dan Jerke
Gear: draws for the bolts and a cord for the anchor
One of the most iconic pitches in Sichuan, the Left Tu’er Shan’s first route. To the left of Re-education
Ear, along with its neighbor the Right Ear, climbs 4: The Rabbit Ears Highline Through Labor is an offwidth that tapers to a hand
a beautiful granite monoliths that give the whole Highline, ~15m long crack. Follow this crack system in a long pitch and
area the name Rabbit Mountain/Tu’er Shan. Climb FA: Raúl Saúco, Nico Cáceres, and Dan Jerke a second short pitch to the main ridge line of Tu’er
Dan Jerke climbs
to bolted line on the right side of the ear, pulling Shan.
exposed, face climbing terrain to the top of the ear While not a rock climb, this “route” is included P2 of Re-education
where you will find a bolted anchor station. because of its iconic nature to the Tu’er Shan area. Gear: nuts; C3: 0-1; Camalots: .3-6 Through Labor.
With routes to the tops of both Rabbit Ears spires,
3: The Right Ear it is possible to use the bolt anchors atop each 6: Re-education Through Labor
5.10-, 1 pitch, ~15 meters (bolt anchor) spire to rig a highline. You will need 3 ropes: 2 for 5.10+, 2 pitches, ~60 meters the Playground Wall, following the easiest grassy
FA: Raúl Saúco, Nico Cáceres, and Tang Chetkul ascending each spire and one for backing up the FA: Ana Pautler and Dan Jerke (July 2015) terrain. Once you reach the base of the wall, turn
(July (2015)FFA: Raúl Saúco (July 2015) webbing of the highline. Once atop the spires, you right, and follow grassy terraces up towards ac-
must pull the webbing up with each ascension line P1: Start beneath a prominent, slightly vegetated cess to Xi Jinping’s Fake Snow Machine. Before you
One of the most iconic pitches in Sichuan, the Right to each spire’s summit, where you can use the bolts crack down and two the right of the Rabbit Ears. reach a scrambly chimney, there should be a big
Ear, along with its neighbor the Left Ear, climbs a to tension the line across the gap between them. There should be a plumb-line crack leading up to the alcove of broken rock on your left. On the left face
beautiful granite monolith that gives the whole area Make sure you have enough muscle to ratchet up base of a huge boulder on the ridge to the right of surrounding this broken rock is a crack arching up
the name Rabbit Mountain/Tu’er Shan. From the col the tension on the line! the Ears. Climb the crack and avoid some vegetation a slab. Start here.
between the ears, clip the first bolt. A slabby traverse Gear: 3 dynamic climbing lines; slackline kit in- with some face holds. The crack will lead up through
protects access to the arête (crux). At the arête the cluding enough webbing to span a 15-meter gap a small roof. Stem over it and surmount a short wide P1: Hand and fist jam up a right-leaning crack
section. Traverse out slightly right and build a belay. with great slab feet to your right. Follow the crack
to where it terminates in a small alcove capped by
P2: Climb the wide, steep corner above the belay a small roof. Some moderate jamming and lieback-
Rigging the Rabbit Ears highline at as it narrows from 4-5 cams down to tight hands. ing will deposit you on a ledge above where you
Tu’er Shan as a monsoon-season Reach the boulder on the ridge and either surmount can scramble on easy terrain towards the big block
it or escape on the path of least resistance onto the features of P2. Scramble until you reach a slab with
storm begins to build. main ridge of Tu’er Shan. Descend by rappelling a a left-facing corner crack. Climb up the corner to
slung boulder on the ridge (double 60m ropes) or reach a broad, grassy terrace beneath a slot filled
scramble across the ridge towards the Rabbit Ears with large block features. Belay from here. (5.7,
and down-climb the ridge (involves a short stretch ~40 meters)
of 5th class down-climbing) to the gully approach
for the Rabbit Ears. P2: From the grassy terrace, go straight up into
the right-facing corner above. Stem and jam your
Gear: Camalots: double .4-3, single 4-5 way up into the corner until you reach a huge,
levered-out block. Here, you can choose to escape
7: Zhouzhou’s Rib right (easier) or lieback through the small over-
5.8, 2 pitches, ~75 meters hang. Above, you will encounter another slightly
FA/FFA: Dan Jerke (July 2015) overhung block. If you escape right, you can follow
easier, less aesthetic terrain to the top, but you will
Zhouzhou’s Rib is the wide crack filled with big not be able to easily rejoin the main corner. Staying
(solid) block features to the left of Xin Jinping’s Fake in the corner will yield a few strenuous jams to get
Snow Machine. It also has an optional moderate first you to the top of the block. Stand atop it and make
pitch that will intersect the same terrace to which a cool stride across a gap to gain the corner on the
you can take a more circuitous approach to scramble other side. From the corner continue upwards on
up to. enjoyable terrain. There will be an opportunity to
escape left on a harder crack (not done), but con-
From base camp, walk towards the lowest part of tinue to follow the corner until the angle eases to
42 43
 yield a bunch of ledges. Belay anywhere at the top of through a 4-5-meter runout where the crack thins out tips crack. Follow the first seam up and slightly left Mike Dobie climbs the FFA
the ridge. (5.8, ~35 meters) too much to accept gear; a hollow block will appear on until it peters out and make powerful moves to the of Let the Rabbits Wear
the left, but do not try and wedge gear behind it. gain the equally thin crack to the left. Follow the
Glasses (5.10+).
Gear: Camalots: double .3-3 second crack to a ledge and build an anchor. (5.13?,
Reach an expansion in the crack and a thank-god jam 12 meters, 1 pitch)
Descent: Walk down the gully to the climbers left. with gear. Gain a rest stance before moving up on
moderate cracks and ledges to a terrace at the top of 10: Captain Birdman
8: Xi Jinping’s Fake Snow Machine the formation and build a comfortable belay above the 5.11c, 1 pitch, ~25 meters
5.9+ PG-13, 1 pitch, ~50 meters orange dihedral. (5.9+, 50 meters) FA/FFA Mike Dobie (July 2015)
FA/FFA: Ryder Stroud (July 2015)
Descend by walking to the climbers left down the On the far right of the Sibling Crack Wall is a section
A classic moderate. On the Playground Wall, there grassy gully of bright orange rock significantly larger than the
will be, from left to right, an S-curved, sickle-shaped adjacent sections that is split by an obvious crack al-
crack and a wide crack split by massive blocks Gear: single .1 X4; Camalots: doubles .3-2, single 3-5; most directly beneath the summit of the Playground
(Zhouzhou’s Rib). The route immediately to the right Offsets: .1/.2, .2/.3, .3/.4 wall.
of Zhouzhou’s Rib, capped with a big, orange dihe-
dral, is Xi Jinping’s Fake Snow Machine. Descent: Walk to the climber’s left down the grassy Find a ledge with a prominent, slightly curving
gully. crack. Follow the crack to a big ledge. The direct
Begin in a curved, flaring, wide crack to the right start (unfreed) originally climbed the thin crack off
of Zhouzhou’s Rib. Climbing up and around a blunt 9: Projects: The Sibling Wall Cracks the ledge (000-1 C3s), but the easier, better-protect-
arête will yield a ledge beneath a razor-thin flake. ed variation traverses in from the left. Descend by
Climb the thin flake on fingertip liebacks while So named for the abundance of short difficult crack following ledges down to the climber’s right.
placing sneaky, marginal skinny gear when you can routes rising one after the other along a bright orange
(small offsets are useful). Top out on the razor flake face, the Sibling Wall Cracks will offer lots of quality Gear: C3s: double 1; Camalots: double .3-2, single
on a sloped ledge and a pod for wide gear. Climb up cragging pitches of all difficulties along the center 3-6 (Direct Start Gear: gear as above plus single
moderate terrain to reach the base of the dihedral. bottom section of the Playground Wall. 000-1 C3s and offset .1/.2 X4)
A few more moderate moves will yield a pod where
you can nest gear. Commit to stems and finger locks On the far left side of the feature is a thin, flared finger

Climbing into the alpine sunset: Nico Cáceres belays

while Raúl Saúco projects a 5.13 single-pitch route on
44 the Sibling Crack Wall at Tu’er Shan. 45
 Xiasai Snow Mountain Access of the bowl, the terrain should have a few grassy
The main peak of the Xiasai
patches for tents and a small, narrow gully leading
and Contradiction Spire up into the main cirque beneath Contradiction massif (~5800m). The granite
Access is rather easy, as there is a turnout near
Lover’s Lake when you drop down Spire. dome of Mini Squampton is
Located in a remote part of Sichuan near the Tibet-
an border towns of Litang and Batang from the pass. From there, a straightforward grass- below the main peak and just
land hike will take you up into the cirque beneath From this base camp bowl, access to the spires is above the grasslands
along highway G318, Contradiction Spire is one
the spires. easy: follow the gully at the back of the bowl uphill.
of three prominent spires that rise up to the south-
The spires will be in view th whole time as you wind
east of the main peak in the Xiasai massif. The whole
Park at the big dirt turnout at the bottom (south your way up the grasslands that will eventually ter-
massif is impossible to miss: as you round a hill at
end) of the lake, and begin heading north/north- minate in the huge boulder field beneath the spires.
the pass about an hour west of Litang and an hour
east just above the first major switchback along the Trend up and left as you approach Contradiction
east of Batang, you come face-to-face with the Xiasai
road dropping into the valley. If you track it right, Spire (leftmost, tallest spire in the group) and cut
massif. The main peak (~5800m) is composed of a
you will encounter a few yak trails and even a mo- back right when you are nearly under the face
crumbling, deep brown, sedimentary rock. But all of
the surrounding spires and subpeaks are granite, vir- torbike track heading towards the Contradiction
tually untouched. These spires are actually a stone’s Spire group. Ahead should be a blunt grassy ridge. A Note on the Name “Contradiction
Gain the ridge and follow it north through the
throw from the alpine playground of Zhajinjiabo
granite boulder fields until you reach a small lake,
Spire”
(see Mike Dobie’s Daocheng Bouldering guidebook),
which is located just north of the main peak in the which will often have grazing yaks in the summer
The team was not able to pick up on whether or not
Xiasai massif (the far side of what is visible from the season.
this spire–small by comparison to the main peak of
G318). “Contradiction Spire” is just a nickname (the Xiasai–has a local Tibetan name. The spire itself was
Wild West China team was not able to find a local Above the lake, you will want to trend right across
given this nickname after the appearance of the two
name), and it is just one of the multitude of granite a broad, flat area that will eventually turn to an
routes that climb to its summit: The Spear and The
subpeaks and spires that surround the main summit incline in order to reach another blunt ridge. You
Shield. The two characters in Chinese that trans-
of Xiasai. With ease of access from the G318 across will also find a small stream. Follow the path of
late the words “spear” and “shield” are and
the Sichuan highlands across mostly grass, Contra- least resistance, tracing this stream until the terrain
and, respectively, which when placed togeth-
diction Spire is a great objective if you are looking to gets rockier. You will eventually hit a small, grassy
er actually become the word “contradiction” or “to
establish multipitch alpine rock routes that top out a bowl with a trickling stream in the boulders to
contradict” in Chinese.
prominent feature. your left and a huge, cantilevered boulder to your
right (great for base camp kitchens!). At the back

Dan Jerke points the way out to

Contradiction Spire in the Xiasai
massif west of Litang, Sichuan.
46 47
 Descent: As of July 2015, there is some rappel tat
on the summit block. Rappel from here back to-
wards the valley to the south. A double 60m rappel
is recommended. Rappel down into the prominent
gully to the left of The Shield route. At the bottom
of the rappel, there should be an area big enough
to stand and a huge fallen block spanning half of
the gully falling to the climber’s right. Scramble
beneath this block to a small terrace where you
will find some black webbing. Another 60m rappel
down and to the climber’s left will put you on a
massive ledge where you can scramble down and
to the climber’s left to rejoin the top of the boulder
field.

The Contradiction
Spire group. Established
routes climb the left-
most, tallest spire.

Routes
the gully, trending up and right until you must make
The Spear (/Máo） a few moves up the wall on the far side. If you are
5.11, 4 pitches, grade III, ~200 meters lucky, you will encounter a belay alcove with a small,
FA: Mike Dobie and Ryder Stroud (July 2015) sharp flake in back where you can build your belay
and recline in an ergonomically shaped alcove. An
Named for the blade-like appearance of the over- lieback your way up until you can do some lengthy
open face should be just above you and the buttress
hanging crux flake on the first pitch, The Spear is splits to span the gap across the alcove and find
mentioned before should be firmly to the climber’s
an aesthetic route that front-loads the high-altitude a rest. Exit the crack into a series of face moves
left. (5.8, ~60m)
hard climbing before becoming an enjoyable alpine trending up and left to the huge razor flake.
outing to the top of Contradiction Spire. P3: From the alcove, head straight up on moderate
Very exposed hand jams on steep terrain will bring
terrain towards the open face. Follow a hand crack
To the right of the huge corner marking the start you to the razor flake, where the crack suddenly
that will eventually cut right, diagonaling across the
of The Shield is a huge alcove/gully that separates expands into #5 cam territory. Fend off the high-al-
face. The crack will terminate for a brief stretch be-
Contradiction Spire from the two other summits in titude burn and hyperventilation and lieback the fore restarting in a pod. Make the reach and follow
the group. On the left side of this alcove is a series of flake until you are completely on it before pulling the crack up and over the top of the face. From here,
massive overlaps and cracks, the left-most featuring a barn door to swing to its opposite side. Above, choose your own adventure among the blocks until
a razor-thin flake that punches through the over- make some moderate slab and offwidth moves up
you reach a small bench beneath the summit block.
hang. This is P1. to a slab where the crack narrows to hands. Fol-
(5.8, ~60m)
low moderate terrain to a small alcove and build a
P1: The original start began from the lowest point of belay. (5.11, ~45m) P4: From the bench, climb the narrowing ridge to-
the flake/corner feature climbing an offwidth in the wards the summit. A big block will stop access to the
corner that went up to meet the series of right-lean- P2: Climb the thin crack immediately off the moderate crack above. A few easy squeeze chimney Mike Dobie climbs out the
ing, squeeze-hands crack in the series of vertical belay onto slabby moderate terrain. Easy cracks
moves will get you to the top of the block, where you razor flake crux on The Spear
overlaps. However, the standard start begins directly will yield an exit right onto the face. A few face can scramble across to reach a left-leaning corner.
underneath these steep overlaps. Beneath a promi- moves will then deposit you in a gully (there is a at Contradiction Spire.
Follow the corner up to the summit block and arête
nent squeeze-hands crack, climb up some moderate buttress to the left, but it is rather contrived and hump your way to sit on the very top of Contradic-
terrain to where the wall quickly steepens. Jam and later plateaus and meets the gully above). Cross tion Spire. (5.7, ~25m)
48 49
 The Shield (/Dùn) crack will thin once more as the crux, sustained This route is one that would require extensive
Ana Pautler heads towards
5.10, 4 pitches, grade III, ~200 meters 5.10 kicks in. Climb through it and up to the roof cleaning in its upper pitches in order to be freed.
FA: Dan Jerke, Ana Pautler, and Nico Caceres–July before escaping around it to the right. Gain the the crux roof of The Shield The pitches above P2 are in a thin splitter crack/
2015 huge ledge atop the buttress and build your belay. at Contradiction Spire. seam that have accumulated moss and rock inside.
(5.10, ~60 meters) If this route were freed to the top, it would become
The sister route of The Spear, The Shield climbs a a superb, committing, splitter to the summit of
beautiful, continuous corner system for 120 meters P3: Cross the buttress to where it joins with the Contradiction Spire!
before topping out on a buttress that connects to the bulk of the summit feature. Choose your own
main bulk of the Contradiction Spire summit. The adventure through blocky terrain and climb to the P1: Climb up a thin corner with a few strenuous
corner climbs an otherwise imposing face broken bench to the right of the summit, where you will moves into a gaping overlap. The overlap will trend
only by thin splitter cracks. The Shield is an ‘afford- intersect with the same finish as The Spear. (5.8. up and slightly left to meet a stance with a chock-
able’ alpine rock route that has great movement, ~40 meters) stone (avoid pulling on it). Bypass the chock stone
sustained terrain, and good stone. To the left of The and continue in the overlap through awkward
P4: Same as The Spear. From the bench, climb the
Spear is a big, open face of rock. The Shield is the ob- hand and fist jams deep in the overlap crack. Pass
vious, right-facing corner that splits the face in halfnarrowing ridge towards the summit. A big block a small bulge above to where the crack straightens
will stymie access to the moderate crack above. out. To the right, there will be a series of rails and
P1: Climb up some hand crack terrain to a small A few easy offwidth/chimney moves will get you slopers that will lead you to a sloping ledge and a
pedestal before launching into the steepening to the top of the block, where you can scramble small alcove where you can belay. (5.10, ~35m)
crack. As the crack begins to thin to fingers, multi- across to reach a left-leaning corner crack. Follow
ple cracks will appear on either face in the corner. the corner up to the summit block and arête hump right. Scramble beneath this block to a small terrace P2: Climb up off the belay from the alcove and fol-
Finger lock and stem your way up to a bulge where your way to sit on the very top of Contradiction where you will find some black webbing. Another low the crack as it thins. Flared, dicey cam place-
the crack thins out. Place some gear, and commit all Spire. (5.7, ~25m) 60m rappel down and to the climber’s left will put ments will lead you through a trending left of the
the way through the bulge to where the crack widens you on a massive ledge where you can scramble to crack that will meet a small roof. At the roof, you
again. Continue up on sustained terrain until a rail Descent: Same as The Spear. As of July 2015, there the climber’s left to rejoin the top of the boulder will find some small nut bail gear along with some
feature appears to your right. Climb a few exposed, is some rappel tat on the summit block. Rappel field. tat. Electing to continue above will involve com-
committing moves on the rail in order to mantle up from here back towards the valley to the south. A mitting up a very shallow crack. (5.10 A1, ~20m)
to a good stance. Build your belay here (5.9+, ~55m) double 60m rappel is recommended. Rappel down Gear: Camalots: triple .3-1, double 2-3
into the prominent gully to the left of The Shield Descent: There is a bail anchor at the small roof at
P2: Off the belay regain the crack. The crack will al- route. At the bottom of the rappel, there should be Growing Pains the top of P2, just beneath the skinny seam on the
ternate between fingers and a thin seam as you work an area big enough to stand and a huge fallen block 5.10 A1, 2 pitches, ~55 meters broad face above. Double 60m rappel to get down.
your way up towards a huge curved roof above. The spanning half of the gully falling to the climber’s FA: Mike Dobie and Ryder Stroud (July 2015)

Mike Dobie enjoys the summit panorama

from the summit of Contradiction Spire. The
snowy 5000m+ summits of the nearby Genyen
Range loom across the Litang-Batang Valley.

50 51
52
Qinghai/Sichuan.
Dan Jerke and Mike
Qinghai

of the Sith, Nianbaoyuze,

Dobie on first ascent duty
at Jedi Tower in the Cirque

Xining: Provincial
North

capital of Qinghai;
most flights come
from within China

Nangqian: potential
for limestone peaks
Jiuzhi: nearest
and walls
population center
to Nianbaoyuze;
area contains the
Nianbaoyuze range
53
 Qinghai Cirque of the Sith and Jedi Tower a highway overpass/bridge that can possibly be a
construction zone depending on what time you
and Nianbaoyuze arrive. From here, there should be no doubt on
Named for the rock feature on the nearby ridge
resembling to Darth Vader’s helmet, the Cirque of which way to go, as the only roads that branch off
Qinghai is one of China’s most barren provinces. Even though the park is isolated in the northwest
the Sith is an easily accessible area for multipitch from the S101 are rudimentary dirt roads. After
Most of the areas outside of the provincial capital, corner of the entire range, there is a big push
rock for both moderate and difficult routes. Locat- about 20 minutes, you will start climbing uphill,
Xining , are massive, snow-capped peaks among locals along with the with local develop-
ed about 45-minutes to 1 hour west of the county going up switchbacks until you crest on a plateau
and endless high-altitude grassland. With most of ment companies to start building roads through
seat of Jiuzhi along provincial highway and the first pass. Continue driving for another 20
the province sitting right on the Tibetan Plateau, the the range, especially in the huge east-west valley
S101, the cirque is accessed by an 1.5-hour hike minutes until the road starts winding uphill again;
province is subject to full monsoon season weather that divides the mountains.
across the grasslands. there will be some metal signs on your left as you
in summer and brutal cold in winters. However,
begin winding uphill with various messages about
there are hidden climbing gems waiting to be dis- That being said, the range has so much rock that
The one wall that has been developed, the Jedi putting out fires in the forest ,
covered, chief among them Nangqian and you can climb without any trouble or red tape.
Tower, has a smattering of high-quality multipitch which is a little strange considering virtually no
Nianbaoyuze . Though you may have to answer a few probing
routes. However, it is just a tiny sampling of what trees or tree-like things grow at this altitude.
questions from Tibetan yak herders questioning
A very remote massif on the border of Sichuan and your intentions in Nianbaoyuze (locals have said this cirque has to offer. In fact, from the top of the
Tower, you can see towers, peaks, ridges, and walls You will pass a sharp, inclined hairpin turn in the
Qinghai, Nianbaoyuze is a huge collection of gran- yak herd theft is a fairly common crime in the
stretching out into the distance as far as the eye can road before climbing to reach the second pass.
ite ridge lines and peaks with a lot of alpine rock area), you will likely just find yourself the receiving
see! The amount of climbable rock is likely enough Marked by a big, blue sign and a tall stone wall to
and mountaineering potential. The highest point end of very curious locals who have rarely, if ever,
to satisfy multiple lifetimes! the left with a whole mess of prayer flags strung
is Nianbaoyuze (main peak), rising to ~5400 me- seen foreigners coming around.
up around it. There will be a dirt turnout on your
ters. Though the altitude of the main peak and the
right. Park here. From there, you should be able to
surrounding rock spires are modest in relation to Be respectful of the local yak herders. There is no Getting There see a huge pyramidal peak in the distance on the
nearby mountain ranges, the draw of this area is the red tape if you keep a low profile. Foreigners in
other side of the wall (see picture below).
sheer amount of climbable granite. The range itself is majority Tibetan areas always draw suspicion and Your first goal is to get to Jiuzhi, the county seat of
roughly an oval shape, encompassing a few hundred extra scrutiny from local authorities. Keeping your the area. From Chengdu, you must take the G213 to
square kilometers with a narrow valley slicing east to head down and maintaining cordial relations with Wenchuan and the G317 northwest
west about halfway through the range. curious Tibetan locals will contribute to fun and towards the Tibetan town of Aba The
plenty of new routes in Nianbaoyuze. road then turns mountainous and less predictable,
While there is a national park (read: Chinese theme taking the S302 to S101 to Jiuzhi
park), it accounts for maybe 1% of the terrain in the
whole Nianbaoyuze range. As a result, access is very From the county seat of Jiuzhi, head out of town
easy, though things may change in the near future. to the west following S101. You will pass beneath

A panorama of the Cirque of the Sith

as seen from the top of Jedi Tower.
The Vader-looking helmet is in the
distance in the center of the photo.

54 55
 Approach Routes
The approach to the Jedi Tower is straightforward. Resident Evil
Across the road from the turnout, pass the stone 5.10+, 2 pitches, ~70 meters
wall through a gap on its right side; there should be FA: Raúl Saúco and Ana Pautler (July 2015)
tire tracks from yak herders’ trucks driving out into
the field. Cross the field, aiming towards the pyra- Climbing up into a big corner system to the left
mid-shaped peak in the back of the cirque. As you of Contagion, Resident Evil climbs varying face
cross a small, scattered boulder field, the ground climbing and crack terrain.
should begin to drop into a bowl towards an alpine
lake choked with low bushes. P1: Begin about 6 meters left of Contagion to the
left of the prominent roof and underneath a huge,
Stay high and to the right of the bowl on a blunt orange, right-facing corner. Climb up the plumb
ridge overlooking the lake, with the lake ahead and line crack and break right on a traverse when the
to your left. Once some cliffs start rising up ahead crack peters out. Traverse right on a horizontal
of you (maybe 300-500 meters ahead), drop down crack all the way around a small flake, traversing
towards the lake. Reach the lake and hop, skip and back left above it to rejoin a new crack system.
cross boulder fields and grassy terrain–there should Build your belay on a ledge here. (5.10+, ~45 me-
be plenty of small yak cattle trails to follow–until you ters)
encounter a grassy, boulder-strewn incline. Scramble
over the top to where a small grassy gully opens up- P2: Off the belay, climb wide, slightly vegetated
hill and to your right. Follow this gully, and the Jedi cracks straight up, using some nice face features to
Tower will be straight ahead. keep from full groveling. Above, you will hit a roof
that you can bypass to its left. Traverse out left and
Ryder Stroud and Dan Jerke stand atop Jedi continue up the easiest line to the top of the Jedi
Tower and belay from the lone, low rock formation
Tower having established the FA of at the top of the tower. (5.10, ~20 meters)
Contagion (5.11c).
Gear: Camalots: triple .5-2, double 3, single 4-5

Contagion P2: From the belay beneath the roof, make a short, crack system to the right (current established vari-
5.11c A0, 3 pitches, ~70 meters awkward traverse into the offwidth beneath the ation). From the terrace in the new crack system,
FA: Dan Jerke and Ryder Stroud (July 2015) roof. Double stack and get a few desperate stems as climb up a chimney through a small section of
you approach the roof. At the roof, the offwidth will rotten rock to gain a big roof above. Traverse un-
Beneath a prominent roof on the main face in a suddenly shut to finger and fingertip jams. Weasel derneath it and out left until you can climb straight
right-facing corner to the left of The Destruction of a hidden, marginal hand jam and make powerful up. Avoid an obvious loose block on the top out
Aldoran, ascending to meet the left side of the roof. moves up and around the roof, scumming your feet (face holds to the climber’s right will get you away
on poor holds and difficult jams to a marginal stance from it) and top out on the formation. (5.10d A0,
P1: Start on a ledge system beneath the left side beneath a large, flared pod. Place gear and climb ~20 meters)
of the roof and beneath a huge pillar that forms above to pod to where the crack suddenly cuts right
an offwidth with the main face. Climb up some on the face. Turn the bulge on the face, fighting the Gear: Camalots: double .3-3, single 4-6; offsets
flared cracks on ledgey terrain up into a wide crack barn door as you go and build a mostly hanging .3/.4, .4/.5, .5/.75
heading straight up to a short chimney beneath the belay where your feet can rest on some big, sloped
offwidth pillar. The transfer across to the offwidth holds (5.11c, ~15 meters) The Destruction of Aldoran
is a bit sketchy, but once you are in the offwidth. 5.10, 2 pitches, ~70 meters
you have bomber pro and great crack. Climb the P3: Climb up the short, sickle-shaped crack to where FA/FFA: Mike Dobie and Ana Pautler–July 2015
offwidth pillar above, mixing it up with the easier it disappears in the face. From here, you have 2 op-
cracks on the main face. Belay on slabby terrain tions. You can climb up and left on slopey face holds The Destruction of Aldoran is the sister route of
towards the top of the pillar and beneath the roof. towards a flared crack a few meters above (undone, Contagion climbing through the same roof on its
(5.10c, ~30 meters) probably 5.12), or you can pendulum swing into the opposite site. Great climbing on steep terrain at an
56 57
 affordable grade. A fun route, for sure.
Ryder Stroud passes the crux roof
P1: Start up some ledgey terrain about 8 meters on the FA of Contagion (5.11c) at
right of the start of Contagion. Climb up to reach a Jedi Tower, Nianbaoyuze.
short, steep, right facing-corner feature. The corner
will suddenly switch to left-facing up to the roof on
steep terrain. Turn the roof to reach secure jams and
continue past the ledge shared with the pendulum
of Contagion and climb to beneath the final roof
beneath the top out. A bolted belay station after the
crux on the obvious ledge would be more conve-
nient. (5.10, ~42 meters)

P2: Though it looks cruiser from the belay, this pitch

does involve actual climbing. Weave up through
the imposing roof and pull past it (crux). Above the
roof, pick the past of least resistance to the top of the
Jedi Tower and belay from a low, coffee table-looking
feature atop the formation. (5.10, ~25 meters)

Gear: Nuts/stoppers; C3s: 000-1; Camalots: double

.3-.75, triple 1, double 2-4 Nianbaoyuze potential: a huge granite cirque on the west side of the range

Descent: All routes descend by walking off the back-

side of the formation.

One of the endless sea of granite spires in the huge east-west traversing valley
through the center of the Nianbaoyuze Range

North

Qinghai Province

Sichuan Province

58 59
 Raúl Saúco, Dan Jerke, and Mike Dobie
explore the remote western cirques of
the Nianbaoyuze range.

One of the endless number of walls in the

range. This one is found in a remote cirque
way on the west side of the range.

60 61
62
Xinjiang
crux of the Mike Dobie testpiece
Diamond in the Witch House (5.13a).
Raúl Saúco flips through the inversion

Altay: prefectural
seat for the area con-
taining Fuyun and
Keketuohai
area containing
North

Fuyun: nearest major Keketuohai town and

population center to Keketuohai canyon
Keketuohai

Urumqi: provincial
capital of Xinjiang;
most flights will come
from within China
63
 Xinjiang Province it is a center of rock climbing, it is not a physical Keketuohai
center of anything. It is an 8-10 hour drive from
With a translated name meaning “The New Territo- Urumqi and 4.5 hours from the nearest big city, Nestled in the Altai Mountains about 40km from the for Keketuohai, which is available here, though the
ries,” Xinjiang is a province that is wild as it is vast. Altay, the prefectural seat of northwest Xinjiang. border with Mongolia, Keketuohai has possibly the most recent edition does not include the routes in this
Occupying the entire northwest region of China, it is highest concentration of high-quality granite trad guide.
filled with everything from huge, 7000 to 8000-me- From the few western expeditions that have made climbing potential compared to anywhere else in
ter peaks on the border with Pakistan (topping out it there and published information, it has been China. An ancient canyon of granite that has been This transformation in access has paralleled the trans-
with the mighty K2 at 8611m) in the Karakoram to described as “China’s Little Yosemite.” However, shaped by the forces of water over millions of years, formation of the park as a whole. A huge museum and
the vast arid expanses of the TaklamakanDesert such a description does the area a disservice as a it has a very unique kind of stone, one that it often welcome building has cropped up at the valley en-
. Xinjiang’s provincial capital, climbing mecca unto itself. While it does not have very smooth and pocketed by giant huecos, huge trance, featuring everything from rare stones for sale to
Urumqi , is also one of the world’s the same, glacier-cut walls like Yosemite, Keketuo- bowls carved in the rock by eons of water rushing exhibits with fossils discovered in the park. A road has
most distant metropolitan areas from the sea (the hai’s features have a one-of-a-kind, water-sculpted over, crashing into, and making pressure waves over been paved into the heart of the Keketuohai canyon for
true point is up near the Kazakh border). Though terrain that lends itself to a distinct climbing style. the cliffs’ surfaces. little tourism buses and golf carts to ferry hundreds of
the city, and the whole province by extension, has The canyon itself stretches for miles and miles, cov- Han tourists in and out along the 25km drive into the
been administered by the Chinese Communist Party ered in beautiful hueco-pocketed granite, of which Climbing here first began in the early and mid-2000s canyon every day. Most people come to see the Divine
for decades, the region still has a very wild, non-Chi- maybe 1% has been thoroughly explored. with a few adventurous teams coming to the canyon Bell . The formation, famed in local
nese feel once you leave the few urban areas that are before it was ever a tourist destination. Back then Kazakh lore, is a steep, imposing 150-meter, bell-
scattered throughout the province. Climate the area was much more wild, being the home of a shaped hunk of granite, dropping vertically into the
rare earth metals mine (which still operates today) raging Irtysh River below. But the canyon is populated
Xinjiang’s people are a patchwork of Han Chinese, Since the northern half of Xinjiang lies beyond the and a base for a division of China’s People’s Libera- by other iconic formations including the Small Bell
clustered in the urban areas like Urumqi , and Uy- northern terminus of the Tibetan Plateau, much of tion Army (the PLA) out towards the border proper. , which ironically stands taller than the
ghurs, Kazakhs, and Mongolians make up the native the region is much warmer and drier, as it is almost Those few pioneering teams often had a great deal of Divine Bell, and Elephant Peak.
population, spread over a massive area in the rest entirely shielded from monsoon season weather difficulty even getting access to the canyon because
of the province. Many of the places you visit out- patterns by the huge mountain ranges to the south. of its proximity to Mongolia. But since about 2008, Routes here can be upwards of 10 pitches and 400 me-
side of the cities have much more of a vibe from the In fact, a large portion of this drier terrain is desert the canyon has become one of the most famous ters long, but there are plenty of cragging opportunities
adjacent nations, with local populations speaking and, further north towards to border with Mongo- national parks in all of China. With more develop- both developed and open to development. Make sure
non-Chinese languages, making very western-tast- lia and Kazakhstan, arid grasslands. As you ap- ment came a transformation in access issues to the your kit involves development gear, because there is so
ing food, and possessing completely different cul- proach the border, a four-way intersection between area. Folks like Mike Dobie and Ola Przybysz have much to do in the valley!
tures. China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan, the cli- worked for years to get park management to allow
mate becomes a bit more influenced by the nearby climbing within park boundaries, and after much
Much of the rock climbing established in the prov- Altay Mountains, which creates a band of elevation negotiating, climbing in the canyon continues today
ince is in Keketuohai, a huge granite canyon about around 1800 meters that is much more verdent, as the number of routes and information about the
40 kilometers from the border of Mongolia. While especially in the areas adjacent to the Irtysh River. area grow. Ola has authored the definitive guidebook

A view of the Keketuohai canyon

from atop the Wudu Wall. The walls
in the distance to the right extending
out towards Mongolia have not been
touched by climbers.
64 65
 Ana Pautler, Raúl Saúco, and Dan Jerke enjoy a post dinner, late-night Things to Remember
snack with local friend Mulathan.
Registration/Dengji/

Much like Tibetan areas, registrations are still more

closely monitored in Xinjiang compared to the rest of
China when you are a foreigner. Xinjiang has a history
of occasional but fierce opposition to rule by the gov-
ernment in Beijing, which has occasionally resulted in
local uprisings or attacks on Chinese state institutions
and law enforcement. While such things pose little
hazard to foreigners in the area, foreigners still bear a
consequence of added scrutiny when traveling through
the province.

Do not be surprised if you see police checkpoints after

every toll station, especially if there is an important na-
tional holiday around the time of your visit. As with the
rest of China’s west, the same rules apply:

- Do NOT try to avoid these checkpoints.

- Ensure that all team members have valid documenta-
Getting There Local Color and Friends tion to be in China.
- Always have a concrete destination like a city handy to
Most journeys to Keketuohai will begin with a The locals in the Keketuohai area are among the tell the police (they like to know where foreigners are in
flight into Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xin- friendliest and hospitable you will encounter during certain terms).
jiang. Taking public transportation will require your climbing travels in China. Much in contrast to
multiple steps to get to the park. You will need to the bureaucratic rules of the nearby registration agen- For more information on other access issues refer to the
hitch a ride to the main bus terminal in town cies and park management, the local people of Keket- Hazards and Access Issues in Western China section in
You will take the G216 uohai are welcoming to climbers. Unlike many of the the front of the book.
highway for 8-10 hours across barren desert and Chinese tourists who briefly visit the area for photo
vast arid grasslands to Fuyun , the ops on short holiday, climbers tend to stick around for Access Rules
nearest population center to Keketuohai. From longer periods of time. The climbing community has a
there, it is a short 1-1.5-hour jaunt along local greater ability to patronize local businesses and make A few devoted Keketuohai climbers including Mike Do- Ana Pautler on development
roads to Keketuohai, a route usually covered by local friends. Good will with the locals can often end bie and Ola Przybysz have negotiated with the park over duty at the Wudu Wall.
hired vans departing daily from Fuyun. Hired up in discounted meals and free barbecue skewers! the course of years to make climbing possible within the
vans will either take you to Keketuohai town main canyon. There was a time when, because of various
or to the Keketuohai park en- Among the locals closest with the small Keketuohai esoteric military border laws, the local uranium mine,
trance. climbing community is a Kazakh man named and park rules, climbing was strictly prohibited in the
Mulathan (Muh-la-tee-han). A former Keketuohai main Keketuohai canyon. Today, climbing is allowed but
See Keketuohai Climbing Routebook (edition park employee turned van driver, Mulathan can be with some strings attached (see Canyon Access below).
2015) for more information. found most afternoons fishing the rapids of the Irtysh
River on the hunt for trout. Though he frequently Climbers must understand that trying the dirt-
heads out into the Altai highlands with friends on bag circumvention of park rules will threaten
camping and fishing trips, he is always ready to share
the years of work climbers have put into mak-
a meal with climbers and show them his town! Be
kind to Mulathan and treat him to a meal. Chances are ing Keketuohai climbing possible. Please read
he will be a great contact and friend while you are in through and respect the rules below!
Keketuohai.
66 67
 Canyon Access
The Wudu Wall as seen from the top of
(IMPORTANT FOR CLIMBERS) P1 on The Flake Route on The Small
Even though Keketuohai is geographically one of the entire trip, but you will need to purchase a cart Bell.
most remote places in China, it is much more regu- ticket for 36 RMB (~$5.67) each day you enter the
lated than any other of the destinations mentioned park. You can also purchase them in bulk for the
in this book because of its status as an iconic Chi- entire duration of your stay. The cart ride also takes
nese national park. about 25 minutes from the park entrance to the
parking lot beneath the Divine Bell.
For foreign climbers, there are a few major points
for climbing access: Please remember this rule! Climbers are actually
getting a special agreement/deal by buying only
- You need to meet with the park manager (Hu Jingli/ one park entrance ticket! Every other patron to
) and ask her to get you to the office where the park has to purchase a ticket for each individ-
you sign a liability waiver. She may also give you a ual entry!
lecture about park rules.
- Timing for rides. The first cart leaves the parking
- You cannot camp in the park. This rule is possibly lot at 9am and gets into the Divine Bell parking lot
the most bothersome for climbers. There is a park- about 25-30 minutes later depending on other carts
run hotel inside the park boundaries, but at the cost and locals’ livestock on the road. The last cart leaves
of ~200 RMB per night. You can often get away with the Divine Bell parking lot at 7:30pm. Missing the
free camping near the river just outside the park. last ride means you will need to beg for a ride from
Just make sure you register with the police and they locals, walk the requisite 25km out to the park
know where you are (see registration/dengji section). entrance, or pay for a ride (which can be as high as The /Wudu Wall/“Five Poisons” Access
200-300 RMB). Wall
- You need to buy tickets. As annoying as this may As of summer 2015, access to the Wudu Wall is
seem, this has been the long-standing deal with the Sitting high on a bluff over looking the Small Bell, rather tricky, involving crossing the Irtysh River in
park. Climbers need only buy one park entrance the Wudu Wall is Keketuohai’s newly established one of the narrowest parts of the Keketuohai can-
ticket for 90 RMB (~$14.18), which is valid for the crag as of summer 2015. Do not let its proximity to yon. The current established means of crossing is
the main face of the Small Bell fool you: Wudu is a to bring a 60-meter static line and make a Tyrolean
tall multipitch crag full of high-quality, very chal- Traverse across the river.
The iconic Divine Bell lenging lines, including a contender for Keketuohai’s
as seen from the hardest established route, The Viper (5.13a/b). The Getting to the river crossing
crag was established by the Wild West China team,
road in Keketuohai canyon. including Mike Dobie, Raúl Saúco, Ryder Stroud, Per current park rules, you have to take a
Ana Pautler, and Dan Jerke with contributions from park-sanctioned golf cart from the main parking
Nico Cáceres, and Locky Carlier. While there is a lot of the park 25 kilometers into the main canyon
high density of established routes at the crag, there itself (to kilometer 23 at the canyon parking lot).
is certainly far more potential for routes that have From there, you must walk to kilometer marker 27
yet to be freed or routes that have not even been (just passed Small Bell).
touched. The wall itself may have the greatest density
of quality routes in Keketuohai! Once at kilometer marker 27, the concrete road
will begin to trend upward just passed the Small
If you can figure out the access across the river to the Bell. Ahead you will see a road mirror, warning
crag (more to come on that), it is worth making a drivers of oncoming traffic on the very narrow
few trips up to climb! canyon road. Just after the sign will be a pile of
granite boulders. Depart the road from here and
head down to the river bank. There should be a
stout tree about 10 meters down off the road right
68 69
 Mike Dobie and Routes (from left to right) anchor beneath the huge roof. (5.9+, ~40m)
Raúl Saúco prep the
A note on routes and grades: These routes are new Gear: Camalots: single .3, double 1-4, single 5,
Tyrolean Traverse single 6
as of summer 2015. While the Wild West China
to access the Wudu Team strived to establish accurate grades and gear
Wall across the recommendations, the cliff ’s routes will need many P2: Get off the belay and gain the overhung crack
Irtysh River. more ascents before they are settled! above. A few early, secure jams immediately off the
anchor will disappear as the crack rapidly widens.
1: Toads and Uyghur Tarts You can choose to either attack the crack directly
5.11d, 2 pitches, ~50 meters where it widens to an offwidth (harder) or crank in
FA/FFA: Ryder Stroud and Dan Jerke (August 2015) a lieback. Make a long reach/dynamic move up and
out of the crack to find a rail high above and get
One of the first routes to go up and be freed at the acrobatic with your footwork to regain the crack
Wudu Wall, Uyghur Tarts is a stout but enjoyable to your right. Regaining the crack (crux) will yield
route. a steep, overhung stance. Fight through very steep
next to the river which has boiled to a rapid. This is next to 2 large pines that traverse the slabs. Fol- wide hands passed another widening of the crack
where the Tyro will cross. However, you will need to low these ledges to a narrowing in the ledge to an and a bulge on your left. Turn the roof to gain a
P1: Begin by heading up the huge corner system
walk down stream about 100 meters before the water exposed move off of a tree. On the far side, the dirt thank-god stance and easier jams to pull up onto
with a chimney/offwidth to the left of Scorpion
begins to get flat enough to make a river crossing. ledges will continue and trend slightly downhill to
Crack. Chimneying through the opening moves will the slab crack above. Squirm your way onto the
meet a wide, forested gully on the far side.
yield an offwidth bulge with remnants of a rose bush slab above. Moderate terrain will bring you to an
Draw straws or elect your team’s strongest swimmer, obvious belay tree above a small, grassy terrace.
in back. Surmount the bulge to gain lower-angle
and send him/her across where the river is slackest. Drop into the gully and begin going uphill imme- (5.11d, ~15 meters)
terrain with a wide crack. Moderate offwidth and
Once across, that member will have to traverse the diately once you have descended from the ledges.
gastons will bring you to a narrowing and steepening
river bank until he/she is directly across from the If you hit the bushy middle of the gully, you have
of the wall. Climb up steeper terrain on wide hands NB: If you place a cam in the crack above the roof
tree you found beneath the road mirror. As of sum- gone too far. Head uphill until a series of low-an- (cam #1-#3 possible), make sure you back clean it! If
and fists and gain a triangular pod capped with a
mer 2015, there should be 2 lengths of red and black gle, mossy slabs appear on your right. Take these
small overhang. Some strenuous moves to gain the not, the cam may potentially get eaten by the crack if
webbing as well as a rap ring attached to the tree on slabs (unless wet from the rain) and follow them your second falls repeatedly in the crux.
roof will yield easier chimneying around it. Gain
the far side. Establish your Tyrolean here. almost to where they terminate. When you see a
the slabby crack above, continue up, and build your
boulder ahead on the slab blocking your exit, turn
Approach left into the grass and then immediately turn right
back uphill. After a minute or so, you will reach a
Estimated time: 35-45 minutes cliff with a large overhang and a pile of boulders
underneath leading uphill beneath the overhang.
Approach times will vary depending on how well Continue up the boulder pile to its end, where a
you find the climber’s trail. From the Tyro, head grassy slope restarts. From here, hug the cliff as
directly uphill into the woods. You will be in a grove close as you can and scramble uphill through a
of trees following a faint switchbacking trail towards little undergrowth, staying on the base of the cliff
a group of boulders, nestled in the moss. Scram- when you can to avoid groveling. Continue this
ble over them. Continue straight up until a stand process until you reach a short flat area with a big
of white birches appear on your right; uphill there pine tree blocking you. Go around it and uphill
should be another white birch that is bent, forming to where the faint climber’s trail cuts right. Fol-
an upside-down “U.” low it out into the middle of the gully and make
one more left turn uphill. A short scramble over a Ryder Stroud on the FA of
All of these trees should be well above the steepest mossy slab will deposit you beneath the cliff.
Toads and Uyghur Tarts. The
most exposed section of slab, which is to your right FFA would later occur with
as you are walking up through the grove of trees.
Once the U-shaped birch is in sight, trend uphill and
significantly less wide gear.
right and pass it on its left through some tall grass,
heading towards the less steep slabs above. Keep
traversing until you hit a series of narrow dirt ledges
70 71
 and grovel your way up to a small roof. Turn the
roof to gain a skinny, right-leaning fingertips
crack above. Gear here is a bit finicky. At its end,
there will be a marginal stance before the crack
steepens in a big, curving, slightly overhung,
right-facing corner. Finger and hand jam your
way to another small roof where the corner ends.
A few redpoint-heartbreaker moves over the roof
will yield a small ledge. Belay from here (5.11,
A1; 5.12- free?, ~32 meters)

Gear: doubles C3 00-2 (or X4 equivalent); Cama-

lots: triples .3-2, double 3, single 4; offsets are
nice, if you have them

3: P1: Scorpion Pancakes Variation

5.11, A1; 5.12+ free?, PG-13, 1 pitch, ~30 meters
FA: Ryder Stroud and Locky Carlier (August
The top half of Toads and 2015) The upper 2/3 of Toads
Uyghur Tarts. The route and Uyghur Tarts (left)
climbs the prominent cor- Named for the thin flake the route climbs, and the upper 2/3 of
ner into the roof on the Scorpion Pancakes is a bit of an unknown. The Scorpion Crack (right)
top half of the pitch (or the second pitch if you
right side of the photo.
decide to split it in two) has steep, difficult moves
The belay tree is visible at is difficult to share real estate with a cam (#1 C3). between two huecos. Some powerful, exposed
and tiny-sized gear that is difficult to place while
the top of the cliff. A few more strenuous moves will yield more solid moves on the bottom of a smooth hueco are re-
climbing. It may go on all gear, but knowing the
finger jams and small feet on the face. Continue on quired to gain a solid but cramped stance. Climb
gear beta ahead of time will be very key in estab-
improving holds to the ledge above to find a bolted up to the base of a third hueco to place gear and
Gear: Sending rack: Camalots: double 3-4; working lishing the FFA of this pitch.
anchor station. Belay at the bolted anchor atop the belay in a semi-hanging stance just below it. (5.11-,
rack: single or double 2, double 3-4, single 5 flake. Move up and left past a bolt on the face to re- ~15 meters)
- To the right of the original start is a thin flake.
join the standard second pitch of Scorpion Crack.
Descent: Double 60m rope rappel off the tree back This variation can be split into 2 shorter pitches
Gear: C3s: single 00-2 (or X4 equivalent); Cama-
down to the base of the cliff or linked as one hard, enduro 30-meter pitch.
- The bolted anchor station at the top of this route lots: doubles .3-2
Begin up a left-facing corner system 5 meters
also allows this route to be top-roped as a single
2: Scorpion Crack right of the original Scorpion Crack start. Solid
pitch. A single 60-meter rope will suffice. (5.11 A1; P3: Possibly the most gear-intensive, enduro pitch-
5.11, A1; 5.12 free?, 4 pitches, ~150 meters hand jams through a series of ledges will lead to
5.12+ free?, ~30m) es at the Wudu Wall, second only to the second
FA: Ryder Stroud, Mike Dobie, and Locky Carlier a finger crack sequence (crux) before reaching
pitch of The Viper, this pitch will test your tech-
(August 2015) the highest ledge. You can belay from here (first
Gear: Set of RPs/micronuts, C3s: single 000-00, nique, fitness, and ability to haul lots of finger to
pitch is 5.10) or link to the top of the flake (rec-
double C3 0-2 (or X4 equivalent); Camalots: doubles hand-sized pieces. Off the belay, squeeze into the
A beautiful climb from bottom to top, Scorpion ommended).
.3-1, single 2-3, very optional 4 (for the gear nest third hueco. Place some marginal gear and wiggle
Crack will be a hardman classic and a very ambitious beneath the crux) out of the hueco out onto the very exposed face on
project to free. The terrain on the first 3 pitches is - From the top most ledge, move off the belay
small holds. Hard face moves will deposit you in
steep, long, and sustained, featuring very strange into a steep finger crack sequence to gain an
P2: Move up from the ledge into a right-facing cor- a stance beneath a flared, left-leaning finger crack.
movement going in and out of giant huecos! This oblong pod. Nest a few big pieces (#1, #2, and/or
ner. Some exposed, awkward moves off the anchor Continue up on flared fingers and awkward, thin
route needs to be freed ASAP! #3) and launch into the crux, a razor-thin flake.
will deposit you on a small ledge beneath a right-fac- jams to reach a spindly tree. Here the crack will
Commit to a long sequence of climbing before
ing corner. Finger locks will bring you to some large, become discontinuous with small pods to share
P1: Start a few meters right of Toads and Uyghur placing gear. Trying to stop to place gear in the
sloped huecos and a sudden cut of the crack to the between jams and gear. Powerful finger locks will
Tarts beneath a big, rounded overlap capped with a first section of the crux is very hard and difficult
right (beginning of the scorpion tail). Burrow into bring you to a small tight-hands bulge. Surmount
stunning splitter above. Climb a finger crack to be- to set with RPs and a marginal 000 C3. Continue
the huecos and swing back onto the face on small the bulge to gain slight less-than vertical terrain
neath the overlap. Pull a few steep, awkward moves on tiny, poor crimps and side-pulls through a
holds where the crack suddenly closes out to a seam where the crack once again becomes thin. Tight
to gain the overlap (chicken wing and/or knee bar) second thin crux to find a thin finger pod that
72 73
 finger tips and finger locks will yield another tight
hands roof. Past the second roof, the crack will again
narrow, but this time for a shorter stretch. Climb up Raúl Saúco on the second pitch
to a cramped overhang and small ledge where the
of The Viper (5.13a/b)
crack suddenly cuts right and widens. Secure, thank-
god hand jams through a bulge will yield a huge,
comfortable, hueco-filled ledge big enough to bask
in the sun—a fitting reward for having completed
such a difficult pitch. Belay here. (5.11 A1, 5.12 free?,
~40 meters)

Gear: Single C3s 000-00, double C3s 0-2 (or X4

equivalent), triple .3-.75, quadruple 1, triple 2, dou-
ble 3, single 4.; offsets .1/.2, .2/.3, .3/.4, .4/.5, .5/.75

P4: A short pitch, especially compared to pitch 3.

From the anchor, climb up a big, smooth boulder
formation to the left of the belay. Very awkward,
strenuous beached whale moves will deposit you
beneath a left leaning crack. Continue to its end by
passing a small overhang, and pull onto the slab
above. Follow easy ledges and vegetated, slabby ter-
rain to a big tree nestled along the left wall of a gully.
Belay from here. (5.10, ~17 meters)

Gear: Camalots: single .3-3

Descent: Scorpion Crack features the most involved

descent at the Wudu Wall. From the top of the P4,
scramble up the steep gully above on narrow terraces
and steep dirt, following the line of least resistance
in the middle of the gully. Above will yield a slab that
will take you to the crest of the Wudu formation.
Follow the ridge, staying more-or-less on the crest
until you hit the proper summit, a small pinnacle.
From here, the backside of the pinnacle drops dra-
matically. Skirt the pinnacle on its right side into a
big, low-angle dish. Traverse off the dish on 5.7 face
moves for just a brief stretch to gain the lower angle
slab below. From there, walk all the way to the back
of the formation where a prominent gully splits the
Wudu Wall with the upper cliff. Descend down the
gully on its right side to regain the base of the cliff.
Mike Dobie gets acrobatic with some yoga moves
Gear (complete route): RPs/micronuts (for P1 during an attempt to free The Viper (5.13a/b).
varation); C3s: single of double 000-2; X4s single .1-
.2; Camalots: triples .3-.5, triple or quadruple .75-1,
triple 2, double 3, single or double #4; offsets: .1/.2,
.2/.3, .3/.4, .4/.5, .5/.75
74 75
 5: Goat Boy
Raúl Saúco climbs the redpoint 5.10, 2 pitches Goat Boy as seen from the
roof crux of The Viper (5.13a/b). FA: Dan Jerke and Nico Cáceres (August 2015) base of the Wudu Wall. The
FFA: Pitch 1: Dan Jerke (August 2015) Viper is just out of view to
the left of the route.
Goat Boy is Wudu Wall’s rug-munching good time
up the obvious offwidth to the right of The Viper.
This route already has 2 enjoyable, high-quality
pitches and has the potential to weave through the
walls above to reach the top of the formation.

P1: Climb the obvious offwidth to the right of The

Viper. ~20 meters of 4 to greater-than-6-sized off-
width moves will bring you to a steepening of the
crack. Pass the bulge on hands to fist-sized jams to
gain lower-angle terrain. Scramble up a gully above
to a huge boulder beneath the obvious roof and set
the belay here. Be careful of a bit of loose rock near
the belay. (5.10, ~35m)

Gear: single #.3-1, double #2-5, single #6

P2: Climb up over the boulder off the belay into a

cave beneath a large roof. Stem up into the roof and
4: The Viper P2: Your mate’s hard lead. Off the anchor, climb turn it on stem moves and face holds to gain less-
5.13a/b, 2 pitches, ~70 meters some moderate hand crack until the crack sud- than vertical terrain above. Gain the second roof and
FA: Mike Dobie and Raúl Saúco (August 2015) denly thins to tight fingers. Conserve your energy turn it on steep but secure jams, which can be made
FFA (pinkpoint): Mike Dobie (August 2015) and find stem/chimney out to a blunt bulge behind less strenuous through X-ray climbing vision (crux).
you. Some tricky yoga technique will gain a rest. Above the second roof, continue up on juggy terrain
This is THE hardman route of the Wudu Wall and From here, stem as long as your groin muscles will to a shrub-filled ledge on the right and belay from
a contender for the hardest established route in allow until the bulge is out of reach. Here, some there. (5.9, ~25m)
Keketuohai (as of summer 2015). The Viper is a long, powerful fingertip jams and tricky gear on steep
sustained, tricky, overhung corner crack that features terrain (crux) will pass a flared hand jam. Con- Gear: single #.3-.4, double #.5-3, single #4
an incredibly steep and powerful crux along with tinue up on slightly wider terrain beneath a roof.
some yoga-inspired movement. If you can spend at Get completely horizontal in the exposed roof and Potential P3: Follow one of two cracks off the belay
the grade, this route is about as good as it gets! reach above to find some thank-god jams. Power of P2. These cracks will likely top out the wall.
through the final redpoint crux to less-than-verti-
P1: Start in a right-leaning corner crack beneath an cal terrain above the roof. Continue on moderate Descent: From the ledge at the top of P2, there
obvious overhung dihedral to the left of Goat Boy. terrain to bolts about 6 meters above the roof. should be a tree/stout shrub that was used by the
Stem your way up to the roof and pull the roof on (5.13a/b, ~40 meters) first ascent party; there is a larger dead tree further
strenuous finger locks to gain a marginal hand crack back on the ledge, but is less ideal for pulling the
stance above the roof. The corner above will then Gear: RPs/micronuts; X4s: doubles .1-.2 (extras ropes. A double 60-meter rappel will get you to the
push you right as it narrows again to finger locks, of .1-.2 helpful); Camalots: .3-2 (extras of .3s are ground. Otherwise, continue to the top of the cliff
taking you past a few small bulges until you reach helpful; anchor can take Camalots 1-3, though 2s and walk off following the descent beta for Siege of
a narrow sloping ledge beneath a brief widening of are best) the House Lizards.
the crack. Build your belay here (5.11+/5.12-, ~25
meters) Descent: From the bolts, do a double 70-meter Gear (complete route): Camalots: single #.3-.4,
rappel directly back to the ground. double #.5-5, single #6; for P2, all the wide gear can
Gear: X4s: double .1-.2; Camalots: double .3-2 be left with the follower except a single #4
76 with extra .4s (anchor can take Camalots 2-4) 77
 6: 100 Years of Centipedes
5.11-, 2 pitches, ~60 meters
FA: Ana Pautler and Dan Jerke (August 2015)

The first established line you encounter when

arriving up the approach trail to the Wudu Wall, 100
Years of Centipedes climbs a steep, plumb-line wide
crack through a series of imposing roofs. This line
will be a burly project to free and possibly extend to
the top of the cliff.

P1: Begin on the right-leaning crack ramp beneath Dan Jerke projects the wildly
the plumb-line wide crack to the left and downhill overhung crux pitch of Siege of
from Siege of the House Lizards. Some tricky gear the House Lizards (5.12+ free?).
off the ground will deposit you into the straight-line
crack, which will punch through a roof (could use
more cleaning). Above, secure jams will lead upward
as the crack slowly widens as you ascend until you
reach a 10-meter section of chimney. Burrow deep
into the chimney to find gear (careful not to get
stuck!) and continue up to where the crack narrows
to #4 and #5-sized. Belay beneath the gaping body
slot roof. Save large gear for P2. (5.10+/5.11-, ~40m)

P2: Climb the gaping offwidth roof above the belay.

Offwidth into the first roof and begin spelunking
out the roof. Gain the cave crack with some good
feet on the right. Wiggle deep into the huge crack
to place wide gear. Body slot and squeeze chimney
your way out the first roof to a 4-meter offwidth sec-
tion leading to the second, slightly narrower, bulging
roof. Climb the second roof on steep hand jams and
keep your feet from cutting out into space. Above,
climb into a large pod to find a 2-bolt belay, set the
anchor here and get a belay stance in the pod (5.10+,
~20m) 100 Years of Centipedes as seen
from the base of the route
Potential: Traverse the horizontal crack from the
bolts out right onto the exposed face. A crack system
on the far end may take you to the top of the forma-
tion.

Descent: Double 60-meter rappel will just make the

ground from the bolts.

Gear: Camalots: doubles .3-2, single 3, double 4,

single 5-6 you can take more wide gear if you choose
to avoid back cleaning, but back cleaning is advis-
able in order to avoid rope drag through the roofs.
78 79
 up the gently overhung face to the left of the original
first pitch. If you want a full-value, pumpy, 30-meter
pitch, get on this variation!

- To the left of the original start there is a left-lean-

ing, ledgey crack slicing up the black wall. Climb
moderate terrain until you are parallel with a hue-
co-filled crack on your left. Traverse into the crack,
as it trends right into a wide, down-facing crack in
a bulge and quickly steepens; have your endurance
ready because the pitch is hard from here on out.
Turn the first bulge into a second wide pod and
follow it to where it suddenly narrows into steep
finger locks; the face will turn to bright orange as Ana Pautler works
you make a few pumpy moves to find a marginal out of the first
jam and transfer left on some hard, exposed moves tricky section of off-
(crux #1) to another crack. More steep moves will width on the fourth
yield a hand-sized pod, where the crack will slice and final pitch of
straight up the face. Climb up slightly overhung
Siege of the House
terrain to where the crack passes a hueco on your
left. Here, make some strenuous, long moves (crux Lizards (5.12+
#2) in order to stand and gain a marginal stance in free?).
Ryder Stroud follows on an attempt to free
the hueco. Pass a huge, complex pod feature with a
Siege of the House Lizards (5.12+ free?). big undercling on your right and follow the skinny
crack to a redpoint heartbreaker series of moves up
tight hands terrain will trend up and right, as you around the final bulge to underneath the roof. Gain
7: Siege of the House Lizards cross the shield back into its left side on a tight some small ledges beneath the wide roof crack and
5.11+ A1; 5,12+ free?, 4 pitches, ~120 meters fingers crack seam. Climb delicately up the seam build your belay here. Pumpy and full-value. (5.11+,
FA: Ana Pautler, Dan Jerke, and Ryder Stroud (Au- to gain some small ledges beneath the roof in an ~30 meters)
gust 2015) alcove and build the belay here.
Gear: single C3 0-2, single .1-.2 X4; Camalots: dou-
Siege of the House Lizards (or just The Siege) is a NB: This pitch was the original start of the first ble .3-.4, triple .5-2, single 3, single 4
great 4-pitch outing with even greater potential as a ascent party. Though the first half of the route is
project to free. This route has it all from sustained, enjoyable and steep on good rock, the second half P2: From the anchor beneath the overhang, there
overhanging terrain to weird offwidth to a thuggish of the pitch (after the small ledge) up to the roof should be an obvious wide crack to your right.
roof. Every pitch is wildly different from the last. If climbs increasingly hollow-sounding flakes and Climb up, place some wide gear, and escape right
you have the desire to free a proud line, go do this shields of rock. The first ascent team cleaned a on the face to gain less than vertical terrain. While
route! good deal of loose rock from the pitch, but starting this option is easier than attacking the roof offwidth
the route from the Sauramus Variation is highly straight on, be wary of pendulum fall potential
P1: (Original start) Climb a slabby, black, left-facing recommended (see description below).
as you pass the roof. Above the roof, follow off-
corner beneath an orange face capped with a steep
width terrain trending up and slightly left to where
shield/corner of rock. Some slippery slab moves and 8: P1: (Variation start) Siege of the House Liz-
the crack begins to narrow. There are a few hol-
tricky gear early on will bring you to an orange face. ards-Sauramus Variation
low-sounding holds around, so just be aware. Above
The crack will suddenly cut left and flare oute. Tra- 5.11+, 1 pitch, ~30 meters
the constriction, and atop a thumb shaped feature
verse out left and finagle some gear before commit- FA: Ryder Stroud
in the crack, build your belay underneath a huge,
ting to the shield of rock. Climb the shield on its left
rounded roof and belay from a semi-hanging stance.
side up some very steep finger locks to gain a small A highly recommended start over the original first
(5.10c, ~20 meters)
ledge (be wary of a loose rock sitting on the ledge). pitch of The Siege, the Sauramus Variation is a very
Traverse right off this ledge in order to switch into sustained alternative that features some very cool
Gear: Camalots: doubles .3-5, single 6
the corner on the right side of the flake. Insecure movement following a discontinuous crack system
80 81
 P3: This pitch will be a big challenge to free. From Gear: Camalots: double .3-4, single or double 5,
the belay, move off the anchor up and right to single 6
traverse beneath the big roof. Some tricky gear
and interesting, exposed face climbing movement Descent: The Siege has a simple walk-off. From the
beneath the roof will yield an alcove with some top out belay, walk to the climber’s right, descend-
hidden good holds beneath a big roof. Get your crux ing a few easy ledges to where a notch suddenly
gear (offsets). From here, the roof kicks you out into appears separating the Wudu Wall from the forma-
space and the crack quickly becomes a seam. Make tion higher on the mountain. Drop into the notch
few powerful, long bouldering moves up past a tiny, to find a cool, narrow slot. Walk down to the right,
two-finger crimp to a slopey hold and a thank-god contouring along the cliff on the easiest terrain.
horizontal jug. Save your energy and quickly launch 15 minutes should get you back to the base of The
into the second crux, starting with a few thin face Siege.
holds on a black streak of rock. Some difficult moves
from the horizontal will yield hard, flaring jams in a Gear (overall route): RPs/wires; C3s: single 0-2;
sickle-shaped crack. Power through some steep jams X4s: single .1-.2; Camalots: doubles .3-3 (triples .3-
to find a semi-stable stance using a hueco. The crack .75 if doing the Sauramus Variation); offsets: .1/.2,
will turn vertical one last time up a short corner. .2/.3, .3/.4
Above, the crack will suddenly end and deposit you
on a big slab. Nest some key but marginal gear in a Cliff descent recap:
shallow horizontal before committing to the tra-
verse and runout up and left to a series of 3 stacked - For routes except Siege of the House Lizards and
huecos. Some slippery moves on a few slopers will Scorpion Crack: rap off established bolt anchor The Small Bell
land you on a small ledge with a shrub beneath the stations or trees. Double 60-meter rappels are ad- bottom rightas seen from
right-leaning offwidth of P4. Belay from here. (5.11 vised. Either use a tag line or climb with doubles. the Wudu Wall
A1, 5.12d free?, ~30 meters)
- For Siege of the House Lizards: Walking off is very
Gear: RPs/wires; X4s: single .1-.2; Camalots: dou- easy. Top out on the route and turn right from the
bles .3, triple .4, double .5-3; offsets: .1/.2, .2/.3, .3/.4 top. The cliff will descend gently into a gully with a
cool slot separating the Wudu Wall from the upper
P4: An awkward, groveling, no-giveaways pitch formation. Gain the gully on either side of the slot
separates you from glory. Climb up and right in the and walk downhill (right) back to your packs.
The Small Bell Getting There
obvious wide crack to a weird, 6-sized, right-leaning
One of the most prominent, recognizable formations You could not ask for an easier approach. Form
pod. Get good with your wiggling skills and off- - For Scorpion Crack: Walking off is the only means
in all of Keketuohai canyon, The Small Bell is home the Keketuohai museum lot, take the golf carts/
width to the pod’s exit (avoid wailing on the chock- of descent, but is by no means easy. From the top
to some of the canyon’s longest, most classic estab- buses into the park (~25 km.). After about 25-30
stones deep in the pod). The crack will suddenly pitch, scramble up steep dirt and grassy ledges, fol-
lished multipitches. The formation is home to Liberty minutes, the bus will reach the Divine Bell parking
turn to tight hands and steepen for a short stretch lowing the path of least resistance in the center of
Crack (9 pitches), Tour de Bell (10 pitches), and For lot, where you will disembark and walk across the
before giving you a hidden secure jam. From here, this gully and follow it to the top of the wall. From
Whom the Bell Tolls (10 pitches), some of the best river via a big concrete bridge. Continue down the
the crack will widen to an offwidth again before here, follow the ridge crest along the lowest-angle
multipitch outings in all of China. Despite, the name road for about 4.5 kilometers to kilometer marker
opening into a chimney. Plug some gear at the base terrain. The crux will be descending the big horn
“Small,” the Small Bell is actually larger than the 26 until you see the Small Bell, which is hard to
and commit all the way out, as the chimney is too marking the proper summit of the formation. The
more famous downstream formation, the Divine Bell miss since it erupts immediately out of the ground
wide for gear. Enter the chimney and climb up to only way currently known down it is dropping
. If you want to pick off a route on this on the left side of the road. There will also be a big
exit right onto the slab above, finding some relief along the right side of the crest into a big dish and
incredible formation, act fast! They are going quick! sign with the features name facing the road.
and gear in some cracks between the boulders on traversing out on a few, exposed 5.7 slab moves (a
the slab. Easy slab terrain will allow you to run up few before you can hop off) down to the low-an-
to the top of the formation where you can belay off gle slab below. While the terrain below is not very
a sturdy birch tree. Enjoy the incredible panorama steep, do not fall here. Past this pinnacle, follow the
of the Divine Bell, Small Bell, and the expanse of easy terrain past the top-out for Siege of the House
the granite canyon behind you stretching for miles Lizards and descend the next gully down to the
into the Altai Mountains of Mongolia! (5.10+, ~45 right to return to the base of the cliff.
meters)
82 83
 The Flake Route (Project) Ana Pautler braves the
5.10+/5.11- A2 (5.11+/5.12- free?), 5 pitches (com-
plete likely 7), ~200 meters (~300 meters complete)
“Offwidth from Hell” on
FA: Dan Jerke, Ana Pautler, Nico Cáceres, Raúl the Flake Route.
Saúco, and Locky Carlier (August 2015)

A proud line in every sense of the word, The Flake

Route climbs an iconic formation in Keketuohai via
some beautiful terrain. With everything from the
narrowest of seams to the widest of offwidths, this
route will be a monster project to finish and free

P1: doubles .3 to 3. Climb the left-facing corner to

the ledge. Gear anchor on ledge before the first bolt
of pitch 2. (5.8, ~40m)

P2: 000 C3, 00 C3 helpful, RPs, singles .3 to 2, dou-

bles 3-6, ideally more big gear (if available, for free
ascent). Clip the bolt off the anchor then face climb
into the left-facing corner. A 000 C3 and RP protect
the difficult face move up into the roof, which then
takes a 0.5 cam. Traverse left, placing small gear;
this section was aided on the FA. After the traverse,
continue vertically up the off-width, stemming and
using face holds when possible. Trolley the big gear;
back-cleaning likely necessary even with two each
of 5 and 6 cams, depending on the leader’s com-
fort. Continue up to the long traverse left, placing
under-cammed 5s and 6s. Exit the traverse up; gear
anchor at the end of the off-width. Optional anchor
at first bolt of pitch 3 but requires a face move to the
first bolt. When exiting the horizontal traverse, be
mindful of the rope, as it can easily dislodge the like-
ly-tipped out cams. (5.10 A0; 5.11+ free?, ~35m)

P3: singles .3 to .5, doubles .75 to 3. Face climb

through three bolts to gain the left-facing corner.
Easy climbing with some chimney moves brings you
to a bulging hand crack. Pull the bulge (crux) and
build a belay at the base of the long, ensuing off-
width. Going left up through the huecos (avoiding
the hand crack) might be a fun variation, although
the horizontal flakes below don’t seem too secure for
taking gear. (5.9, ~35m)

P4: double 2-3, triple 4-6. Climb the “Offwidth from

Hell,” as it was deemed on the FA. Climbing left-side
in seems to allow some chimney and body squeeze
jams. The off-width is bizarre because the crack con-
stricts at the lip and then quickly widens. Gear can
84 85
 Ana Pautler heads out on the
friction slab runout on P2 of the
Flake Route just as rain moves in.

Mike Dobie frees the crux pitch of

Diamond in the Witch House (5.13a)
at the Hammer and Tongs crag. The
be placed at the lip and then deeper for “small- may be necessary on the black streaks. Option (2): likely Small Bell looms in the distance.
er,” non-6 placements. Set anchor at the bolt harder, from the disappearing crack, continue up the face
atop a small ledge. (5.10+/5.11 OW, needs more to the base of the overhung, right-leaning boulder feature.
opinions, ~35m) Appears to be an overhung finger crack with lichen. (5.9+,
Hammer and Tongs Crag Approach
~30m)
P5: doubles .1 to 3, likely more small gear and
Dubbed Camel Peakby the Keketuo- From the museum lot, take the golf carts/buses
C3s, nuts useful after bail anchor. P6 (possibly pitch 7), 40-50m?, large gear at a minimum.
hai Park management, Hammer and Tongs is one (~25km) to the parking lot beneath the Divine Bell.
Bring your gardening gloves! Likely top out the Small Bell
of the great cragging destiantions in the canyon. If You want to pass the Small Bell and Elephant Rock
A little face climbing off the anchor brings you via the large, long, bushy off-width.
you want a high concentration of routes all within on your left around kilometer marker 26 and the
to a stellar hand crack. Cruise on up with occa-
a small area, head here. The area itself is home to river crossing for the Wudu Wall (around kilo-
sional steep sections as the crack narrows into Gear (complete route): RPs, 000-00 C3s (optional 0-2);
some great testpieces, including Voices in the Deep meter marker 27) on your right. Continue about
a finger crack, becomes flared, and then peters Camalots: double .3-3, triple 4-6
(5.12) and Diamond in the Witch House (5.13a), the a kilometer past until you spot a huge, square-cut
out. The FA party bailed where the crack thins.
Mike Dobie hardman classic and one of Keketuo- pillar facing the road with a looming roof to its
The remainder of the pitch and climb remain Descent:
hai’s hardest established routes. This area is the most right. This is Hammer and Tongs. Once you are
unfinished; a 2-nut anchor awaits the next ad-
crag-like feature established at Keketuohai, with a beneath the huge pillar, you will see a wooden sign
venturous climbers. (1) Likely walk-off from the top of the Small Bell, although
handful of multipitches climbing walls not neces- in a small turnout advising you to stay on the path.
not confirmed.
sarily to the top of one of the canyons many granite Just behind it is a dirt trail. Follow it up to beneath
Prospective beta: continue climbing the dirty,
dome features. For more information on other estab- the pillar and traverse to the right to reach the base
thinning finger crack. A nut tool will help dig (2) A large tree on the top of the last pitch is visible from
lished routes at Hammer and Tongs, see Keketuohai of Hammer and Tongs.
out the crack. below. Rapping it with 60m doubles may put you into the
Climbing Routebook (edition 2015).
vicinity of the bolt atop pitch 4, allowing a straight down,
After the crack, there appear to be two routes 4-rap, double-rope rappel.
up: (1) traverse left ~7m on the unprotected
face; bolt(s) may be necessary. Gain the vertical Note: The ~10cm pine tree near the pitch 2 bolt line and
crack, climb up to the black streaks on the left lower-down white birch tree provide a convenient bail rap-
side of the boulder feature. pel line, accessible throughout most of the climb.
Possibly set an anchor around here. Bolting
86 87
 Diamond in the Witch House Laoban Training Wheels
5.13a, 4 pitches, ~90m 5.10 (5.7 R), 3 pitches, ~70 meters
FA: Mike Dobie and Ana Pautler (2014) FA: Ryder Stroud, Dan Jerke, Ana Pautler (2015)
FFA: Mike Dobie (August 2015)
An amusing, non-classic to the right of Voices in the verse into P3 longer. (5.9 R, ~20 meters)
One of THE premiere test pieces of Keketuohai, Work a little ways out in the roof to find some in- Deep. Climb it if you are looking for some funk after
Diamond in the Witch House is an incredible obvious hand jams. Invert and get your feet in the knocking yourself out on the harder lines nearby. P3: From the anchor atop the P2 slab, traverse
4-pitch outing that has it all from steep finger locks crack above your head, and start working your way right and shimmy past a rose bush towards a
to a wild inversion offwidth roof. Though the route out the roof on some powerful leg locks. Reach the P1: Climb slightly mossy, left facing corner to the prominent, left-leaning crack system. Gain the
was established by Mike and Ana before the Wild edge of the roof and sit up as far as you can around right of Voices in the Deep. Some stemming up in crack on some enjoyable wide jams and climb as
West China trip, Mike finally freed the crux pitch on the roof to where the crack narrows to ring locks. the corner will bring you to an alcove beneath the it turns to hands. The crack will narrow and split,
the Wild West trip. Every pitch of this route is stellar. Some sit ups and hard lock off power on small roof. There will be a big hollow flake with a tempting forcing you out onto the face to make exposed
holds will get you over the lip. A few more locks finger crack. Avoid it and traverse left out to a cleft in moves past a bulge. Once you pass it, the crack
P1: A long pitch. Climb the prominent corner will bring you to a belay alcove (hanging belay) the roof. Reach up and cut your feet on jugs to pull system will split again: left will take you up to
beneath the roof to the left of Voices in the Deep. above the roof lip. (5.13a, ~15m) through the roof. A few bouldery moves to stand up lower-angle grassy terrain in a gully; right (straight
Fingers to tights hands terrain will bring you to a will lead to moderate terrain and a big belay ledge. up) will take you onto a ledge with a tree. Go right.
belay beneath a slightly overhung finger crack. (5.10, P4: The no-giveaway finale pitch. From the belay (5.10, ~20m) Belay just above on the ledge. (5.9+, ~30m)
~40m) alcove above the crux roof, make some strenuous
finger locks off the anchor and follow the crack as P2: From ledge, climb the flaring, licheny crack Gear: C3s: single 00-1; X4s: single .1-.2; Camalots:
P2: A warm-up for the pitch to come. Gain the over- it contours right across the exposed face. Top out through a bulge. Some funky movement will yield doubles .3-3; offsets: .1/.2, .2/.3, .3/.4
hung finger crack and make steep powerful moves the formation and build an anchor. Celebrate. You some decent locks to turn the steep section onto a
past a few large huecos. Above the huecos and a few just finished one of Keketuohai’s hardest routes. low angle terrain. Follow the crack until it disappears Descent: On the belay ledge atop P3, there should
meters below the roof, build a hanging belay in an (5.11+/5.12-, ~20m) into the slab and run it out (5.7 R) on the unprotect- be a large tree to the climber’s right. Rappel off its
alcove. (5.12, ~15m) able slab to a small sloping ledge and a pod where trunk (single 70m or double 60m ropes) to gain
Gear: RPs, 00-1 C3s; Camalots: double .3-2, single you can build your anchor. If the runout spooks you, the woods on the slope below. Scramble down
P3: The bread and butter. Climb off the belay on 3-5 you can also make a few committing traverse moves scree and dirt back to the base of the Hammer and
some moderate hand jam terrain to meet the roof. left to gain a flaring crack, but it will make the tra- Tongs wall.

Raúl Saúco reefs through

the ring lock exit of the crux
pitch of Diamond in the
Witch House (5.13a).

Ana Pautler enters the

post-traverse crack on
P3 of Laoban Training
Wheels.

88 89
 Climbing media production.
China climbing info.
Climbing and mountaineering instruction.

www.itinerantclimberscollective.com

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