Logan Barber takes on Firewall, a 5.13d that is considered one of the two hardest trad routes in China (and has been climbed by only a few others).

China

LIMING

RECOMMENDED BY Michael Dobie

It was the confluence of several ambitions that brought Michael Dobie to Liming. “It was back in 2008 that I began to get serious about climbing,” he recalled. “I also had ambitions to leave the United States and see the world. Around that time, I was introduced to the idea of developing new climbing routes as a way to serve the climbing community. In 2010, I had the opportunity to go to Yangshuo to test out a career change from athletic training to outdoor education/rock climbing. Yangshuo is popular for its limestone climbing, but people there were talking about other possibilities in Yunnan Province.

“A climbing friend, Austin Stringham, moved to the Lijiang region in Yunnan to set up a climbing operation there, and invited me to help him out. We looked at a number of places, including Liming. There was wonderful sandstone with lots of cracks. We went to the local officials to get permission to rock climb in the area. It was a long process. My friend’s girlfriend, Laojiu, helped us translate a proposal outlining how we’d develop the area for trad climbing. We were given the go-ahead. My friend’s company didn’t work out, but I stayed on. I’d invite other climbing friends to come and help me develop routes. Some North Face climbers came in 2011, and that got Liming some media attention. In 2012, North Face China pledged to support me to continue developing climbing in the area. Before Liming, trad climbing didn’t really exist in China.”

Liming sits in the mountainous northwestern corner of Yunnan Province, which rests in the southwestern corner of China. Liming rests at an elevation of seven thousand feet, and some of the climbing crags sit at heights greater than nine thousand feet; Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, for example, which is 18,360 feet, is in the vicinity. Though recreational climbing is very new to the mountains of Liming, local people have been scaling the cliffs with long wooden ladders for hundreds of years to harvest honey from bees’ nests in the rocks.

“The area around Liming is very wooded, with pine trees among the red sandstone,” Mike continued. “Some people liken it to Indian Creek at Moab. While the climbing has a similar style—lots of crack climbs—the overall feeling of the place is more a rainforest or jungle than a desert. To date, we’ve established more than 350 trad climbs. I feel like the good stuff starts at the 5.9 level. The Great Owl is crack climbing 101 for those who haven’t done much crack climbing. Right next door is a nice 5.10, Scarface 2, as it resembles Scarface at Indian Creek. The best 5.10 might be Wind of the Valley, a hand-crack corner that’s about 100 feet. The Feedbag is also up there. It’s 125 feet, quite varied, starting with a chimneyish climb, then a splitter crack and finally some face climbing. Japanese Pixelated Genitals is also popular. At the end there’s a roof traverse with nothing but air beneath you. It’s reminiscent of Kachoong, a popular route at Arapiles in Australia. For more advanced climbers, I like Back to Primitive [5.11, 8 pitches]. Japanese Cowboy [5.12] is a great crack climb. An area called Guardian has some nice 5.11s and bolted 5.12s. If you really want a challenge, there are a few 5.13s—Firewall and the Honeycomb Dome.

“I left for a few years but came back in 2018. I was getting more into sport climbing. Chinese climbers are more acquainted with sport climbing. I realized that putting up some bolts in Liming would be a great way to attract sport climbers to the area and then try to introduce them to trad climbing. We’ve now added seventy or so sport climbs. This gives the area a broader appeal and makes it more well-rounded.”

Most climbers will stay at the Faraway Hotel, which is a convenient distance to the crags. “It’s run by a local family,” Mike continued, “and I’ve been working with them to better accommodate Western visitors and climbers. [Most of the people here are from the Lisu ethnic group; through most of China the Han are the dominant ethnic group.] One of the popular dishes for breakfast or dinner at local restaurants is Er kaui—it’s a patty made of rice with egg and it’s stir-fried with vegetables or pork. There’s also baba, a kind of bread. It’s an easy walk—about a kilometer—to one of the crags, the Pillars, where there are sixty routes. Another area is about two kilometers away, with a number of crags near the road. If you don’t feel like walking, the owner of the Faraway will give you a ride there and back for about $1.50 [USD]. You can get snacks for during the day at the local shops or the Faraway. After a day of climbing, you’ll come back into town for dinner. There’s not really any bars or nightlife at present. There’s a Lisu cultural center in town where there’s a night of singing on the weekends, but most of your entertainment comes from hanging out and chatting with other climbers.”

As of this writing, it’s still mostly climbers from the West who travel to Liming. Yet this is changing. “There have been three climbing festivals since I started spending time here,” Mike added. “Many Chinese climbers came during the festivals. Seeing so many native climbers here was very satisfying. I’ve put my heart and soul into helping develop Liming. Watching an area with lots of potential grow from the ground up has been pretty special.”

MICHAEL DOBIE came to China in 2010 from the Pacific Northwest. Together with the help of many climbing partners, he discovered Liming’s potential and started to develop it for rock climbing. From 2011 to 2015, he spent most of his time in Liming, Keketuohai, and Western Sichuan in an effort to create traditional rock climbing opportunities for the Chinese and international climbing communities. Mike was supported by North Face China, Black Diamond, DaliBar, and Mad Rock as a professional route developer, climber, and author through this process. Currently, he splits time between the Seattle area and home in Liming. Professionally he has a degree in Athletic Training, is an AMGA single-pitch instructor, and provides outdoor educational support.

If You Go

▶ Getting There: Kunming has the nearest international airport and is served by many carriers. From Kunming, there are many carriers serving Lijang, near Liming.

▶ Best Time to Visit: October through June, with the best conditions available mid-October through November and late February through mid-May.

▶ Level of Difficulty: Liming is best appreciated by climbers of at least intermediate ability.

▶ Guides: Liming Rock (Michael Dobie) is a great resource. Guiding services are developing; email Mike at mdobie012@yahoo.com for details.

▶ Accommodations: The Faraway Hotel (+86 13578378448) is the main lodging spot for visiting climbers.