72 pitch First Ascent in the Changping Valley, China

Chad Kellogg and I, funded in part by a Lyman Spitzer Award from the American Alpine Club, completed the first ascent of the Southwest Ridge of Siguniang (VI 5.11 A2 M5 AI3+), 72 pitches. 9,200’ from base camp, in southwestern China over ten days, September 21-30, 2008.

The route began with 2,500’ of steep rainforest weaving through cliff bands to the base of a 2000’ granite wall at 14,200’. The wall was climbed by a direct line through vertical crack systems with free climbing up to 5.11 and much A2 complicated by grass and moss in the cracks. We made three bivis on the wall on small sloping ledges and one tight alcove. The weather for ascent was good with the exception of a lightning and sleet storm on the second night which made us claustrophobic from being wrapped in the limp tent body on our small ledge.

We topped out the bigwall portion after 17 pitches in the middle of the fourth day. Here we were able to find water at 16,500’ and it was greastly needed since we had planned on climbing the wall in two days. From this point onward the route changed to remarkable alpine ridge climbing, as the weather deteriorated to white out, fog and snow flurries for the remainder of the climb. The rest of day four and all of day five was spent navigating the crest that weaved in-and-out between dozens of gendarmes. This rock ridge, which we dubbed "The Rake," (after a similar peak in our local Cascade Mountains) ended at camp 5, just before a notch below the upper mountain at 16,800’. Planning to descend the gulley south of the notch we cached our rock shoes, half the rack and one rope in dry bags behind a flake.