Unclimbed China: Photos to Drool Over

The East Face of Mukong Xueshan (6,005 meters) in the Baxoila Ling mountains along the divide between the Salween and Irrawaddy rivers. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

The great Japanese explorer Tamotsu Nakamura has returned from another expedition to far western China with photos of stunning unclimbed peaks. Since 1990, Nakamura has made more than 25 exploratory journeys to the border country of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet, where hundreds of high peaks have yet to be attempted by mountaineers.

This year’s goal was further exploration of the Hengduan Mountains, where three rivers that form the headwaters of the Yangtze have carved deep gorges. This was the country explored by the remarkable English botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward during the early part of the 20^th century.

Because of logistical problems and unusually heavy snowfall, Nakamura’s team was unable to complete its original objective of following the Salween (Nujiang) River deep into the mountains north of Tsawarong. Instead, the group retraced portions of journeys that Nakamura made in 1996, 1998, and 2003 along the Salween and Wi Qu rivers.

The southwest side of an unnamed 5,800-meter peak south of Damyon (6,324 meters), the major peak along the divide between the Wi Qu and Mekong rivers. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

Still, there’s always something new to see, and Nakamura returned from his four-week expedition with yet another enticing selection of photos for ambitious climbers.

For a comprehensive look at the mountains east of the Himalaya, including the Three Rivers Gorges of the Hengduan Mountains, see Nakamura’s 30-page article in the 2003 American Alpine Journal.

Sources: Tamotsu Nakamura, American Alpine Journal

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The south-southwest side of Damyon (6,324 meters), a peak sacred to local Tibetans. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

The northeast side of a peak about 5,700 meters high in the Geuzong Massif, as seen from a valley east of the Wi Qu River. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

Peaks about 5,700 meters high along the Wi Qu and Salween rivers divide, seen from the east. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

The isolated village of Gebu, along the Wi Qu River. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura.

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The route Nakamura’s Autumn 2007 expedition followed through China's Deep Gorge Country. Photo courtesy of Tamotsu Nakamura. CLICK HERE TO VIEW A 1200 PIXEL VERSION OF THIS IMAGE