aussie69 Posted May 10, 2011 Posted May 10, 2011 At the end of asphalt tucked away amongst the foothills of the Himalayas exists a destination for the truly adventurous climber. Towering far above the pine and rhododendron forests are the 200 meter sandstone walls of Liming National Park. The car loaded, cams oiled, and the dog only to be out done in drooling by us gawking climbers, its been no more than a year ago we first stepped foot in Liming. Filled with ecstasy at the thought of hundreds of first ascents, our hopes were quickly dashed as we were greeted by a park official at the gate curious as to our intentions during our stay. Maybe it was the two bursting duffels bug covered and strapped to the roof of our car or that smell of gore-tex, cigarettes, and beer that gave us away. Perhaps we’ll never truly know, but that simple innocuous moment turned from bliss to demise with the simple phrase he greeted us with. Climbing is not allowed. Now if you’ve ever dropped a rock on your toe or stubbed it on a coffee table corner you’ll kind of know the instantaneous pain we felt as the forbidden words were spoken. (How heart breaking would it be if the story ended there?) Welp maybe it was written in the stars or we had spun enough prayer wheels at the last Tibetan temple we visited because shortly thereafter the official began to inquire about the potential we thought the park held for climbing and other outdoor sports. Our brief conversation at the front gate turned into a night of warm beer at the only bar in this one horse town, where in which we laid all our hopes and dreams out on the table wishfully thinking they would trudge through our BS and allow us to sink our hands in the virgin cracks. Sure enough the planets had all aliened and now some months later we’ve obtained unconditional climbing access. As it stands now over 40 traditional routes have been developed, most of which are multi-pitch. For all those out there who have day dreamed about something that has no end (be it: love, ice cream, Saturday morning cartoons), well for us climbers it seems our endless sandstone crack Mecca has been revealed. Covering an area of over 500km2 the sandstone massifs hold potential around every twist and bend. When to go: June to September is the typical monsoon season. Things get rather wet during that time. Other than that it's blue skies and sunshine for about 8 solid months a year! See ya'll around! Extra Beta: There is an online guide book that's free for now. All the beta you need to find your way. Keep in mind routes are going up daily so check back with hlechina.com or junshanclimber.com for up to date information. Quote
Frankazoid Posted May 11, 2011 Posted May 11, 2011 I almost felt a tear comin' while reading that. Great work. Absolutely outstanding. Quote
aussie69 Posted May 11, 2011 Author Posted May 11, 2011 Hahaha nice, well you outa come on out. Cheap beer, good climbing, great people... A guy couldn't ask for more! Quote
LaughingSquirrel Posted May 14, 2011 Posted May 14, 2011 There is also a bit of information on rockclimbing.com under south china as I update the routes. Come out and experience this place everyone!!! Its great fun! Love you all, Mike D Quote
E-rock Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Aussies are so weird? Where does all that unbridled enthusiasm come from? Quote
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