About

Yuzhu Peak is also called Kekesejimen Feng, located about 10 km east from the Kunlun Pass and 160 km from Golmud. With the height of 6,178 meters ASL, it is the highest peak of the eastern Kunlun Mountains and there are many 5,000-meter peaks around it.

Yuzhu can always be a best place for a climbing beginner. It's south side route is much simple and requires less technique, but it's base camp is pretty high, 4,900 meter ASL. On the other side, the north route is much complex, mixed with many kinds of landforms, such as glaciers, ice slopes, crevasse. Thus make it the best mountain for the first step of a novice. Climbers can get their height experiences at the south side and learn more climbing technique at the north.

Climate

Due to the arid climate, its annual precipitation is only 200mm. In the high-altitude area of over 5,000 meters, however, there exists violet local air circulation and its yearly precipitation remains to be several hundred mini-meters more than that in the piedmont area. The yearly temperature is -5°C. From June to August is the advisable climbing season.

South Route

Getting to the Base Camp: 160 km south from Golmud is the Kunlun Pass, which is 4,767 meters ASL. Before the milestone marked with 2,900km, you will find an easy road at the left side. Leaving Tibet-Qinghai Highway for another 16 km drive, you will arrive at the BC site. Jeep, track and mini-bus can drive you there.

Climbing up: Climbing along the south slope, you may choose a C1 around 5,500m, which is a line between snow and rock. There have been three routes leading to the summit, including southwest range, southwest slope and southeast slope. In 2000, China Mountaineering Association organized a climbing festival at Yuzhu Feng. The following route was southwest slope, on which 50 climbers in six groups reached the summit during the event.

photos by Xu Xiaoming and Ma Xinxiang

1. BC (5050m): 500m below the end of glacier, near wellspring.
2. BC to ABC: climb up a 30 degree slope first and then go down about 20 meters. Walk 300 meters in the valley and you will reach C1. The whole trip will take around 1 to 1.5 hours.
3. ABC (5300m): locates in a leeward valley. A camp may be built here to store climbing equipment.
4. ABC to C1: two snow-covered slopes are on the route from ABC to the northeast range. The first is 80m long and the second 220m. It takes about half and two hours.
5. C1 (5600m): a 10 to 15 degree soft slope where 10 tents can be setup.
6. C1 to the top: a long journey on a less-than-30-degree slope which costs you about 4 to 5 hours. Ices can be found near the top if snowing is few, while snow can be 50 centimeters deep after snowing.
7. The top: a flat where an iron tower can be easily found. When descending, walk down right following the old route climbed.

Tips

• Temporary strong wind and snows may appear at two to three o'clock in the afternoon and last near two hours.
• After snowing, take of your unattended tent at C1 to prevent from being precessed down.

North Route

This route was climbed by Peking University Mountaineering Association in 1998. Its difficulty outpaced the south routes a lot.

photo by Peking Univ. Mountaineering Association