The Singapore Management University returned to Yangshuo for the second straight year to promote safe climbing ethics. This year’s group of outstanding individuals included 8 students led by returning volunteer Jonathon Hwa. The students were fulfilling their community service project duties by volunteering their time in Yangshuo. This years project was similar to last year by improving anchors. SMU donated time and equipment for the improvement of 27 anchors this year, and 32 anchors last year. During their two week stay the students also became heavily involved with general maintenance of some over used crags as well as some under used routes. Additionally, the volunteers have expressed interest in pursuing a much larger project dealing with the development of new routes and possibly an entire crag. Thanks for caring about rock climbing SMU and continue to exhibit great community awareness.
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The same folks that have made a business charging people to climb at Golden Cat Cave have moved on to Wine Bottle and have been charging climbers RMB20/day to climb there. Reports have it that, recently, they are there to collect fees most days. Very few climbers are going there and the crag is starting to get overgrown. Most people who go there are beginners or people who want to try climbing. I have not seen teddy bears on the crag like at Golden Cat Cave, but it is probably a similar set-up. The same group is reported to have paid local villagers for exclusive access to Wine Bottle and to Thumb Peak. Climbers have been to Thumb Peak recently and have not been asked to pay, but it is probably a hit-and-miss situation so be aware of this if you plan to climb multi-pitch routes there or you may be disappointed. YAI’s position is to avoid crags where people are trying to charge for climbing. By going elsewhere, we reduce the perceived economic value of the crag and, hopefully, encourage the villagers to work with us directly to provide services climbers can actually benefit from. We have increasingly more options for climbing in the area so this should be easy to do. The shortage of posts and access updates on the site recently does not reflect a lack of interest or developments in Yangshuo Rockclimbing; most of the site contributors have been out of the area for much of the past 6 months. You can expect more posts from now on. We have been climbing unhindered at White Mountain since January 2010. Bolts hangers were removed from the bottom of most routes by villagers early this year but have now been largely replaced. The removal of the bolts was a type of protest by the Yan Zhi Village, the lower village, because they wanted to exert their claim over the crag ahead of any decision the government might make as to the final assignment of land-use-rights for the area at the base of the crag. Additionally, village leaders have complained that we have not communicated with them directly when crossing through their land: they see this as very disrespectful on climbers’ part. I must admit, I would take a similar attitude if I were a villager and I think this attitude on climbers part should change once we consider the community issues from the villagers’ point of view. We held three-party discussions with both local villager, Yan Zhi and Zhou Shan, and the YAI over the past week. This is the first time we have all sat down together to resolve access issues. At the root of the problem is a dispute between the two villages over land-use-rights and this dispute has caught climber in the middle. The disputes have not cleared up, but we all agree a temporary understanding is necessary till the government makes some kind of ruling. We do not expect any government involvement in the near future. We are now completing agreements with both villages for use of the crag. The use of the crag for the upcoming Yangshuo Climbing Festival has been worked out and will be completed and signed in the next few days. In addition, the YAI is negotiating for use of land in front of the crag on a yearly basis. This land includes the grassy area from the trail down to the crag. If we put this in place, we will be able to use the area for camping and other activities throughout the year. As part of the agreement to be able to use the crag for the Climbing Festival, the festival will give some money to the villages to repair the access road. In addition, we will encourage festival participants to buy food, drink and cigarettes in the village during the festival which will schedule most of it’s daytime activities there on Saturday, Oct. 30th. This is an important development in our attempts to get local villages to start providing regular services to climbers and to give climbers a chance to spend more of their RMB in the villages. We are waiting for a sign of villager willingness to establish a small shop in town like the ‘Belay Station’ that villagers established at the drop off point at the Egg. We encourage all climbers to consider driving into the area via the lower village and asking locals if there are drinks and food for sale. This village is much larger than the upper one and both a restaurant and, eventually, accommodations, are a real possibility there. We’ll keep you posted as to new developments. Over the past 6 months Spiderman Rock Guides and traveling climbers have contributed hugely to the further development of Yangshuo rock climbing. The new Big Gun Wall is only 10 minutes from town with huge potential for single and multi-pitch climbs. Currently there are 8 routes established here on the easiest approachable section. This new wall has been looked at many times but left untouched until Paul Qiu attacked it early this past summer. A small topo can be acquired at Spiderman Climbing just off of West Street. And secondly, further development of the Middle Finger can now be enjoyed by all free climbers. The south face is home to 18new routes including the instant classic Finger Lickin’ Good (5.12), a beautifully exposed two pitch arete on a semi-detached pillar. These two crags are being opened in the nick of time for the upcoming autumn climbing season. Equipment and material for these efforts was provided by the Yangshuo Access Initiative and the Yanshuo Climbers Association as well as the individual pocketbook. Be sure to check out the crags and the associations on your next visit and don’t be shy to thank the locals for their hard work. Specifically the YAI would like to thank Paul Qiu, Liam Bennett, Paul Byrne, and Andrew Hedesh. These crags will be included in the next edition of Yangshuo Rock Climbs, due out before the 3rd Annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival in October. Please remember that climbing new routes is an unbelievable experience but also potentially hazardous. Although these routes have been cleaned thoroughly, they have not been tested over the long term. Loose rock is always a concern; wear a helmet. Furthermore, development on the Middle Finger will continue for the next month so please use caution. I’ve just been informed by a long-time Yangshuo Rockclimber that the rights to manage the newly created tourist area along the road from Wine Bottle is being auctioned off to tourism development companies just as China has done throughout its scenic tourist areas. Due to the difficulty of actually controlling access, the start date to begin charging admission has been tentatively set for October 1st of this year. Once I get confirmation of this, the YAI will initiate talks with the management company to attempt to work out a systems that will be more friendly to rock climbers. We are likely to be in an unsettled period for the next few years as we try to work out arrangements. The tourist development companies who manage these areas in other parts of China have never been very interested in negotiating with climbers: we have to pay to enter Shuangqiaogou and have been prevented from climbing at Hua Shan and Huang Shan Scenic areas. The park management companies are the government’s solution for making money from tourists visiting the parks without actually having to do the work themselves. The management companies are in this for the money and can be very sensitive to the liability issues associated with any type of accidents or injuries that take place within their parks. We are on the frontier with this climbing access issue in China and cannot guarantee any results. Fortunately, there are an unlimited number of crags in and around Yangshuo that are already developed or waiting to be developed for rockclimbing. We may have to live with limited access to some of our favorite crags, at least for awhile, but this should not hamper the growth of the sport in Yangshuo or in China. Your support is needed as much as ever. Over the past week, local climber Abond began replacing missing hangers on 17 of White Mountain’s classic routes. He intends to continue until they are all replaced. He has used glue-in ring bolts which should be more difficult for the villagers to destroy. We needs more adhesive and ring bolts that we’ll have to bring in from Hong Kong. There have not been any troubles with the local villagers since early this year. We will begin talking to them again soon trying to secure the use of the land at the base of the crag for some of the annual YS Climbing Festival which will be held this year during the last weekend of October. Visiting Shanghai climbers were denied access to climb at the Wine Bottle crag this past Saturday. The area has been problematic for Yangshuo rock climbing since late last year; recently signs went up announcing that the local village would fine people who climber there. I’ve been telling people to call the police if they are confronted by locals and when police were called, the climbers were told that villagers did not want them climbing there and that they would have to leave. This is the second crag, after Golden Cat Cave, that has been closed to climbers. Officials at the sports bureau are reluctant to get involved at this time pending an overall resolution being worked out by the Yangshuo government. Any policy will have to fit together with the tolls gates and limited access planned for the road between Wine Bottle and Moon Hill. It would be easy to point fingers in this issue, but that will not help us resolve anything or open the crag up to rock climbers again. All eyes are looking out to see just what happens over the May 1st holiday were great numbers of Chinese climbers are expected to show up for Yangshuo rock climbing because Wine Bottle is such a popular crag for moderate climbers. Please leave a note here or send an email if you encounter any access problems at any of the Yangshuo rock climbing crags. Update April 8th, 2010 It is unlikely that gates will be completed before the May 1st holiday so we do not know what to expect once gates are taken into operation. Government officials are still discussing with local residents from along the roads about how they will benefit from the road closures. Local residents have been promised income from the road fees in exchange for not charging additional fees within the roas/park area. This should include rock climbing areas. No official announcements have been made about management or fees. We will keep you posted once announcements have been made. Gates are under construction on the road just past the traffic circle on the way to Wine Bottle and another just past Moon Hill. The government has begun implementing its plan to control access to this scenic section of road and turn it into a park. Unfortunately, six of our most popular crags are accessed via this road. I spoke with the head of the sports bureau and asked him for details on how he road will be administered and he said that ‘everything is still under discussion and nothing has been settled’. In the worse case, climbers will be charged RMB80 each time they pass through the gates. I don’t believe the gates can be completed before the May first holiday and no workable solution has been found for access by people who live off the road or for the business, including guest houses near Banyan Tree. We will keep you posted when we hear of new developments. We have talked to officials about special arrangement for climbers but at present it is unclear who we need to talk to and who will be responsible for making the final decisions. I anticipate the situation being fluid for awhile, this should give us time to present the case for free access for climber. It actually ties in well with the areas tourism development plans: they want to attract more overseas niche markets to the area and charging for climbing sould certainly put a damper on that. Through the implementation of the Crag Inventory and Assessment it has become duely noted that climber safety in Yangshuo is a problem. From ill-cleaned routes to missing bolts to unconventional anchor configurations the climbing routes are in need of a serious face-lift. Because of this, Director of Safety, Andrew Hedesh is making route improvement priority number one. The year 2010 in Yangshuo rock climbing will be marked with superb upgrades in route safety and anchor improvement. During the past month of January, volunteers Ian Farquhar, Josh Laitila, and Michelle McRory have donated time energy and resources to the safety of all climbers who follow. These volunteers have added 14 bolts and replaced 5 bolts on existing hazard routes as well as improving approximately 60 anchors! The unselfish dedication of climbers like this is truely what keeps rock climbing opportunities open to the general public and ensures ample precautions for the climbers who pull hard. Thank you volunteers for the contribution and establishing proper climbing responsiblities the rest of us can follow. During the past year, Yangshuo rock climbing has seen an enormous amount of development! With 70+ new routes and three new crags added in the last 12 months Yangshuo continues to be the center of rock climbing in China. Currently, there is no where else in China that offers such a high density of diverse grades in close proximity to a town that is very welcoming to foreign and domestic climbing tourists. The continual influx of touring climbers along with the local climbing population has produced nearly 300 routes within the last five years bringing Yangshuo’s route total to just under 500. Although this number is growing rapidly, approach times are still minute; 95% of the crags are within a short bicycle ride from town allowing for comfortable lodging, fantastic dining experiences, and superb nightlife opportunities. With all the development going on around here please be sure to stop by the Karst Cafe and check out the new route log book for the latest up-to-date route information. In addition, it has been heard that Paul Collis will be publishing a new edition of Yangshuo Rock Climbs sometime during the second half of 2010. Way to go, Paul! The YAI and the Yangshuo rock climbing community would like to thank all of the people involved in bolting new routes during this past year. |
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