Meili Snow Mountain

Kawagarbo, the highest summit of the Meili range at 6,740 metres, is held sacred by Tibetans and has never been summited: an attempt in 1991 by a joint Chinese and Japanese expedition ended when an avalanche killed all seventeen climbers, and climbing was subsequently prohibited. Pilgrims walk a circuit around the range instead. The standard view is from Feilaisi, a ridge across the Mekong valley where a row of white stupas faces the peaks, and where at sunrise on clear mornings the snow turns gold from the top down. Cloud hides the summits on most days, which makes a clear morning a matter of luck.

History

Kawagarbo, the highest peak at 6,740 metres, is sacred in Tibetan Buddhism. Expeditions tried it in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and in the winter of 1990-1991 a joint Chinese and Japanese team was lost in an avalanche on the Yubeng side; a last attempt in 1996 was turned back by weather. Out of respect for local belief, which holds climbing the mountain a blasphemy, and for safety, the authorities at Deqin stopped all climbing, a meeting with The Nature Conservancy in 2000 called for a ban, and a local law of 2001 forbade climbing Kawagarbo (Wikipedia, Meili Snow Mountains).

The landscape

• The thirteen peaks - the Meili range across the Mekong valley.
• Feilaisi viewpoint - the stupa row facing the mountains at dawn.
• The golden sunrise - light moving down the snow on clear mornings.
• The pilgrim circuit - the route walked around the sacred range.

When to go

October to April gives the best odds of clear mornings; the summer rains keep the peaks hidden for weeks. Even in winter, several mornings in a row can be clouded. Cold at dawn is severe.

Practical notes

The mountain is invisible on most days, and many visitors leave without seeing it. Viewpoints charge entry. Altitude at Feilaisi is around 3,400 metres and the road from Shangri-La is long.

Nearby

Yubeng is across the valley; Shangri-La lies southeast.

Key facts