Yangshuo China Trip Report – Low Mountain

With the joining of Brigitte and Corey, we set off for Low Mountain for a multi-pitch route, L’Echo des Montagnes. Just like many other multi-pitch routes in Yangshuo, this route was dirty and jungly for the most part. Moreover, this route didn’t provide any challenge either – the hardest pitch was a 5.8 but all of us thought it was overrated. Throughout the whole climb, there was only one semi-spooky traverse move. However, this route did provide an unbeatable reward – a 50-meter free hanging rappel. Because the destination of this rappel is a huge cave, this rappel is also a great photo opportunity.

I was the first one who rappelled. Once I reached the cave, I couldn’t help but explore around. It turned out that the cave was also a tunnel; it brought us to another face of Low Mountain. I saw a group of young people barbecuing and top-roping down below. Right next to where I was standing, there was a rappel anchor. That means if not because our stuff was still at the base of L’Echo des Montagnes, we could have rappelled down here and started cragging right away.

We had to do another 25-meter rappel to get back to the ground and walked around to start our cragging for the day. The rappel is not worth mentioning because all you got was passing through branches and weeds. Cragging was very fun, fortunately. We together did four or five routes and I especially liked the one called Flake Out, rated 5.10c.

Before I tried Flake Out, I stared at it for a long time. The book says, “A bit physical but with a good rest in the middle.” Based on my observations gathered from the base, it looked like the lower part was the most difficult. I figured if I had enough power to clip three bolts, I would be fine. In fact, the upper part was way more technical than the lower part. It required many tricky moves, and had some mandatory hand jamming and off-width work. At the off-width section, only the right foot could be put in the crack and the left foot had to smear the wall. This route was very sustained and powerful but extremely interesting and therefore very enjoyable. I didn’t lead it clean, but later top-roped it clean. I wish I could have red-pointed it but I was too exhausted and too scared to give it another try.