Exploring the Xiashe Massif, Sichuan Province, China

On the 29th September, we left Chengdu by jeep with Lenny, all the equipment and most of the supplies, some of which followed in a public bus with another member of the staff. Driven by Mr. Yu, our party headed west through the city of Kanding (the gateway to Tibet), then over a 4,000 m pass onto the Tibetan plateau. The first night we spent in a small Tibetan town about 3 hours west of Kanding.

After traveling over several more 4,000 m passes, our party arrived in the city of Litang on the 30th. At 4,100 m, Litang claims to be the highest city in the world. After a brief stop to mend a flat tire, we drove on to the junction of the highway and the road leading up to the Zhopu pasture. We spent the night in the junction town of Chalu. The road (the main highway between Sichuan and Tibet) is very rough and the driving time was consuming. Often, we felt like milkshakes on the drive along the road.

Access to the Xiashe Massif was feasible via a small, unpaved road from Chalu to the Silver Mines in the hills beyond the Zhopu pastures that lead to Xiashe. The road follows the beautiful Zhopu River to a stunning pasture where wide grassy valleys are broken by granite rock spires and snowy mountains. We found a site for base camp at 4,200 m on the Zhopu pasture, at the junction with the stream draining the north face of Xiashe. The weather was fine enough to have a good view of the north face and the north and southwest ridges. Our party now comprised two climbers: Lenny and a local Tibetan called Tae-Woon.