Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Jade Dragon rises straight out of the plateau north of Lijiang, a wall of thirteen peaks whose highest point, Shanzidou at 5,596 metres, stays snow-covered and has been climbed only once, by an American team in 1987. Most visitors take the Glacier Park cable car, which climbs in a few minutes to about 4,500 metres, where a boardwalk and staircase lead a little higher along the edge of the ice. Two lower cable cars serve Spruce Meadow and Yak Meadow, both quieter and greener. Below the mountain, Blue Moon Valley holds a chain of pale turquoise pools fed by meltwater. Oxygen canisters are sold everywhere at the top station, and the jump in altitude from Lijiang is abrupt.

History

The mountain's Naxi name is Satseto, and its highest peak, Shanzidou, rises to 5,596 metres. The Australian mountaineer Marie Byles led an attempt in 1938 that bad weather turned back, and the summit has been reached only once, on 8 May 1987, by the Americans Phil Peralta-Ramos and Eric Perlman, up snow gullies and limestone walls; a tourist cable car now climbs to a platform at 4,506 metres (Wikipedia, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain).

What you'll find

• The Glacier Park boardwalk - the walkway and steps at around 4,500 metres, at the edge of the ice.
• Blue Moon Valley - the string of turquoise meltwater pools on the approach road.
• Spruce Meadow - the forest clearing under the peaks, on a lower and much quieter cable car.
• Yak Meadow - the highest grazing pastures, the least visited of the three cable car routes.

When to go

Winter and early spring bring the clearest air and the most snow on the peaks, while summer cloud often hides the mountain entirely by mid morning. Go first thing and buy the cable car ticket in advance, because the daily quota for the Glacier Park line sells out and the queue can run to hours during national holidays.

Before you go

The altitude jump is sharp and people faint on the top boardwalk every day. Tickets are layered - park entry, cable car, shuttle bus - and add up quickly. Cloud can mean seeing nothing at all from the top station after all of that. The outdoor show staged at the foot of the mountain is another ticket again.

Nearby

Lijiang old town, Baisha village and the road north to Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Key facts