Conquering Kinabalu

Medical Tribune April 2009 P18
David Brill

Mount Kinabalu is widely promoted as a straightforward climb for the everyday tourist. David Brill wonders whether Superman has been writing travel books in his spare time.

Pulling myself up a sheer cliff face in the pitch black at 4 a.m. I realized I’d been misled. With my hands slipping on the wet rope, the cramp aching in my legs and the insidious cold penetrating four layers of clothing, it began to dawn on me that climbing Mount Kinabalu was not going to be as simple as I’d been led to believe. When I saw a grown adult burst into tears, my worst suspicions were confirmed.

Rising to 4,095 meters above sea level, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo although not, as often claimed, the highest in Southeast Asia (Myanmar and Indonesia boast loftier peaks). With 47,848 climbers in 2008 alone –26,595 of them non-Malaysians –it is considered to be one of the world’s most accessible mountains, and no specialist climbing skills are required.

Armed with a personal assurance that conquering the peak would be “easy,” we had arrived in the town of Kota Kinabalu on Friday night and travelled straight to the Kinabalu National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage site where the mountain is located. The drive usually takes around 2 hours but with heavy rain, thick fog and herds of cows mysteriously crossing the road, our progress was a little slower than might be expected. We arrived in the small hours of Saturday and, 5 hours sleep in a freezing dormitory later, were ready to begin the climb.

Only the bravest attempt to ascend and descend Mount Kinabalu in a single day, and the majority of tourists spend a night at Laban Rata –an accommodation compound situated around 3,000 meters up. With the mountain entirely shrouded in mist, it was left to our imaginations as to how high this might actually be, and we set off with the blissful optimism that accompanies blind ignorance.

Stage one of the climb is straightforward but cannot be described as easy. Five hours on a steep, meandering path, clambering over boulders and slipping in the mud, was achievable but not an experience I’d wish to repeat. When cramp set in it became genuinely challenging, and the need for effective hydration was a lesson learned the hard way. Cramp does not seem to be a problem for the porters, however, who regularly ferry supplies and equipment back and forth up the slopes, hardly breaking a sweat as they do so. There can be few experiences in life more demoralizing than struggling your way up a mountain, only to be overtaken by a man running full pelt with a dishwasher strapped to his back.

The relief upon arriving at Laban Rata was palpable. Accommodation here must be reserved before beginning the climb and is often booked up as far as 6 months in advance. There are a few different options within the compound, which can hold a total of 146 climbers on any single night, but the Laban Rata Rest House is promised as offering the greatest level of luxury. However with ice-cold showers and an electric radiator that struggled to generate heat but succeeded in unleashing a torrent of sparks during the night, I can only imagine what comforts await in the other buildings. The wisdom of reserving early was firmly reinforced.

Any last lingering hopes of a relaxing weekend break were finally shattered by the 2:30 a.m. wake up on the Sunday morning. Half an hour later we were on our way to Low’s Peak –an ironic title dedicated to British Explorer Sir Hugh Low who in 1851 became the first documented person to reach the summit. The warmth that was enjoyed at 3,000 meters quickly plummets along this stretch, and it is here that the rewards of a sensible packing list are reaped. A good pair of waterproof gloves and a head torch are extremely useful for sections where a rope is required, and a warm, windproof jacket will come in handy throughout. As the temperature drops so too does the vegetation –the lush greenery of the lower slopes giving way to sweeping expanses of bare rock that offer little shelter from the wind.

With altitude sickness, fatigue and depression setting in, we finally reached the peak around 2 hours after leaving Laban Rata. We did not have to wait long for the mood to lift, however. As the sun crept up over the horizon sometime after 5 a.m. the misery of all that had gone before was forgotten, replaced with a delirium-heightened wave of elation which swiftly swept through
the group. Aches and pains were put on hold as we reveled in the collective sense of achievement – 13 members of our motley crew had set off from Singapore and 13 were now sitting at the peak of Mount Kinabalu.

The view, as expected, is breathtaking. And as the sun began to provide some warmth, so the urgency to descend diminished. For the first time on the trip we were able to take in our surroundings without the sense of impending dread at what was to follow, leaving us free to return to Laban Rata in a more relaxed fashion than that in which we left. The rocks are significantly easier to traverse with the benefit of daylight, and we were breakfasting at the hostel around an hour after leaving the peak.

The rest of the descent is no simple task, and is considered by some to be the hardest part of the journey. Stiffness sets into the muscles and the height of the steps places considerable strain on the knees and calves. Buoyed by the knowledge that the worst was over, however, the pain became bearable and personally I came dangerously close to enjoying myself. Descending at a leisurely pace brought us back to base camp within 4 hours, while quicker members of the group made it inside 3. The porters, needless to say, sprinted past like Olympic mountain goats.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu is a physical and emotional rollercoaster. It took me a week to regain the full use of my legs, but it’s a small price to pay to know that I made it. Easy? No. Worth every second? Undoubtedly.

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For details of accommodation and climbing fees for Mount Kinabalu, see: www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my/climbing_mt_kinabalu.php