Xuebaoding and Huoyan Peak, risk your life to explore
On January 14, 2024, five hikers climbed the highest peak of the Minshan Mountains, Xuebaoding, at an altitude of 5,588 meters, from Shangnami Village, Daxing Township, Songpan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Three of them gave up their journey due to exhaustion and returned to the camp at an altitude of 4,800 meters to wait for their two companions. When they waited for a long time and still did not return, they called the police for help.
After emergency rescue efforts from all parties, the three hikers trapped in the camp were rescued down the mountain on the afternoon of January 15.
As of the evening of January 17, no trace of the two missing persons had been found. In order to avoid accidents to the rescuers, the rescue team evacuated and stopped the search and rescue on the evening of the 17th.
According to the on-site inspection by the rescue workers, they saw ropes and gloves left at the camel's back at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters. Based on this, it is speculated that the two missing persons may have accidentally slipped and fallen from the camel's back, and there is almost no hope of survival.
Camel's Back is a dangerous pass between Camp C1 and the main peak of Xuebaoding. It has a ridge that is dozens of meters long and like a wall. The narrowest part is only about 30 centimeters. There are cliffs on both sides, and people can only ride on the ridge, hence the name Camel's Back.
The snow is very deep in winter, and it is very easy to get into an accident when walking on the ridge.
Xuebaoding, known as one of the seven sacred mountains of the Bonpo religion in Tibet, means "Xia Xu Dong Ri" in Tibetan, which means the Conch Mountain in the East. It has become a dream place for many mountaineering enthusiasts.
There are traps behind the scenery, and adventure and risk coexist.
On August 1, 1999, Zhou Mouxia, a member of the mountaineering team from a university in Beijing, fell and died at around 5,200 meters.
On May 1, 2003, Beijing climber Wei Honghai died while climbing Xuebaoding alone.
On October 2, 2011, two hikers from Jinhua, Zhejiang, encountered an avalanche at 4,800 meters on Xuebaoding. One of them died and the other was injured.
Xuebaoding is the watershed between the Minjiang River, Fu River, Bailong River and the Heihe River, a tributary of the Yellow River. The place where Xuebaoding is most often seen is the Huanglonggou Scenic Area in Huanglong Township, Songpan County, Aba Prefecture.
The water of Huanglonggou originates from Xuebaoding, flows into the Fu River in the lower reaches, meanders for nearly 700 kilometers, and merges into the Jialing River beside Wenfeng Ancient Street in Hechuan District, Chongqing, then into the Yangtze River and flows to the sea.
The melted snow from the mountains at Xuebaoding merges with the karst water gushing out of the surface, forming solid travertine ridges over the years, which block the flowing water and form layered and connected pools of water.
Various inorganic and organic substances in the water, colorful algae and submerged plants have formed travertine bodies of different qualities, which have created colorful blocks of color in the lake. The raised scales seem to be pieces of "dragon armor", which are stacked and stretch for about 3.6 kilometers, like a huge yellow dragon flying down from the snow-capped mountains, hence the name Huanglong Valley.
Huanglong Valley and Jiuzhaigou Valley are golden scenic spots for tourism in western Sichuan.
The Longmen Mountains in Sichuan Province extend from Motianling in Guangyuan City to the southwest like a natural screen, stretching across the northwest edge of the Chengdu Plain. It is the dividing line between the Sichuan Basin and the western Sichuan Plateau. It is composed of Danjing Mountain, Yinchanggou Mountain, Jiufeng Mountain, Mazongling and other peaks. The highest peak, Lion King Peak, is 4,984 meters above sea level. According to legend, Dayu "carved Longmen, cast nine tripods, and controlled floods", so it is called the Longmen Mountains.
Jiufeng Mountain is located in the middle section of Longmen Mountain Range. It is named Jiufeng Mountain because of the nine peaks including Qinglong, Suzaku and Huoyan that stretch out in a long line.
The Flame Peak of Jiufeng Mountain is a strange peak with dangerous rocks. The rock on the top is as red as flames, hence the name Flame Peak. It is 3,315 meters above sea level. The ridge is steep and only one person can pass through the narrowest part. The rocks underfoot are loose, there is a signal blind spot, wild animals roam around, and the danger is unpredictable. It is an unopen wild mountain, so climbing is prohibited.
On November 7, 2023, nine hikers from Chengdu and Guizhou took a detour through Yushigou to climb the mountain, crossed the Golden Summit, and lost contact while climbing the Flame Peak.
After an emergency search, even using a helicopter to search, the eight missing hikers were found on the evening of November 8, but due to the rugged terrain, they were unable to get closer. It was not until the morning of November 9 that they approached the eight missing persons and escorted them down the mountain.
The last missing hiker was from Wenjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. It was confirmed by a drone that he fell off a cliff hundreds of meters high and landed in a kneeling position with no signs of life.
Recovering the body was too difficult and would cost more than one million yuan, so the family gave up and there has been no further rescue news.
Also in Jiufeng Mountain, on January 19, 2023, a man and a woman lost contact while climbing Jiufeng Mountain. On January 20, rescuers found the two and confirmed that they had fallen off a cliff and died.
There are risks behind the scenery. Please do not venture into dangerous areas. Life safety comes first.