Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Shanzidou

Mt Satseto on the left, rising above Tiger Leaping Gorge
Elevation 5,596 m (18,360 ft)
Prominence 3,202 m (10,505 ft) [1]
Listing Ranked 71st by prominence
Ultra prominent peak
Location
Shanzidou
Yunnan, China
Range Yùlóngxuě Shān
Coordinates [1]
Climbing
First ascent 1987 by Phil Peralta-Ramos and Eric Perlman[2]
Easiest route East side: snow/rock climb[2]

Mount Satseto, known in Chinese as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (simplified Chinese: 玉龙雪山; traditional Chinese: 玉龍雪山; pinyin: Yùlóngxuě Shān) is a mountain massif (also identified as a small mountain range) near Lijiang, in Yunnan province, southwestern China. Its highest peak is named Shanzidou (扇子陡) (5,596 m or 18,360 ft). The view of the massif from the gardens at the Black Dragon Pool (Heilong Tan) in Lijiang is noted as one of China's finest views. The far side of the mountain forms one side of Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiao Xia).

Shanzidou has been climbed only once,[3] on May 8, 1987, by an American expedition.[2] The summit team comprised Phil Peralta-Ramos and Eric Perlman. They climbed snow gullies and limestone headwalls, and encountered high avalanche danger and sparse opportunities for protection. They rated the maximum technical difficulty of the rock at YDS 5.7.

The Austro-American botanist and explorer Joseph Rock spent many years living in the vicinity of Mt Satseto, and wrote about the region and the Nakhi people who occupy it. An interest in Rock later drew the travel writer Bruce Chatwin to the mountain, which he wrote about in an article that appeared in the New York Times[4] and later, retitled, in his essay collection What Am I Doing Here?[5]. Chatwin's article inspired many subsequent travellers, including Michael Palin[6], to visit the region.

The Jade Water Village is at the foot of the mountain.

References

  1. ^ a b Yunnan/Sichuan high-prominence peaks on peaklist.org
  2. ^ a b c Eric S. Perlman, "Yulong Shan", American Alpine Journal, 1988, p. 265.
  3. ^ Tamotsu Nakamura, "East of the Himalaya", American Alpine Journal, 2003, p. 146.
  4. ^ Chatwin, Bruce. "In China, Rock's Kingdom", New York Times, March 16th 1986
  5. ^ Chatwin, Bruce (1989) "Rock's World", in What Am I Doing Here?, Vintage, p.206
  6. ^ Palin, Michael (2005) "Himalaya - Day 82: Lugu Lake to Lijiang", Retrieved 2011-01-13