Southeast Section

Publication Year: 2008.

Changping, Shuangqiao, and Bipeng valleys, mapmaking. After my attempt on the Dragon’s Tooth, I trekked around the Changping, Shuangqiao, and Bipeng valleys for about nine days, hiking up hillsides, over passes, and up subsidiary valleys trying to get a concept of the valley. There have been many intrepid climbers in these valleys, but it is still hard to figure out which peak is which. Each peak may have a Chinese name, a Tibetan name, a name given by the first Western team to climb it, or no name. Some peaks can be seen from different valleys; locals in different valleys have different names for the same peak.

My mission was to use my local knowledge and language skills to unravel the mystery of this new climbing destination. I interviewed local horsemen, Chinese mountaineers, the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, and foreign climbers such as Jon Otto, Tom Nakamura, and Ben Clark. The result is a hand drawn map with 51 of the most prominent peaks that rise from the Bipeng, Changping, and Shuangqiao valleys. This is the most accurate and useful map of the region. Enjoy. The expedition was made possible by support from the McNeill-Nott Climbing Grant sponsored by the American Alpine Club and Mountain Hardwear.

Jon Lane Sullivan, AAC