On August 23 our team reached base camp at 4,400m below Eagle Rock, the south summit of Potala Shan (a.k.a. Putala Peak). Eagle Rock lies above the valley of Shuangqiao, and was believed to have been climbed only once, by a three-man Swiss team, via the south face (AAJ 2006).

On August 25, Heng Jhao, Jinyon Dong, and I climbed four pitches (5.7–5.8R) to the right of the Swiss route, finding classic slab climbing with very little protection. On the fourth pitch I managed to place only one piece of pro in 60m. At the end of pitch three we found an 8mm bolt and karabiner, remnants of a Japanese attempt that was stopped by bad weather. We returned to base camp leaving these pitches fixed. The next day, other members of the group climbed three more run-out pitches to the Swiss Platform, a good ledge on the Swiss route where it is possible to erect a small tent.

On the 27^th, Heng, Jinyon, and I reached the Platform, and then moved out right, aiming for the main crack system we planned to follow. The ninth pitch made a deep impression on me. Reaching the crack system direct would have involved drilling through a blank section of rock. A circuitous route to the right seemed possible to climb free. Again, there was unprotected climbing, but the crack, when reached, was good. This and the pitch above were 5.10+. At the top of the 10th pitch I discovered two pegs linked by old white rope, which I presumed was a rappel anchor placed by the Swiss.

On the 12th pitch I met the unexpected. A near-vertical crack petered out. But above, one and a half meters apart, were three pegs. Who had placed them? They were not new and not on the Swiss route. This pitch was the crux at 5.11a. I was pleased to climb it free but also frustrated to learn someone had been here before.

Close to the top we came to an imposing wide crack, and I thought we might not make it. Fortunately, there were plenty of hand and foot holds, and I arrived on the summit ridge at 7:30 p.m., in the gap between the low and middle tops of Eagle Rock. About 200m away and one pitch up is a higher top, a small eminence that cannot be seen from anywhere in the Shuangqiao. We descended from the gap, and at 3 a.m., 21 hours after leaving, we regained the tent. An hour later a thunderstorm struck and the noise of rockfall echoed around our camp. Was Eagle Rock expressing its feelings for our ascent? Out of respect we had not climbed the middle top, 10m higher than our exit point.

One day later, three more members of our expedition, “Griff,” Jiang Qiu, and Yong Zhang, repeated the route. We used a total of 15 bolts, one on each belay, and a couple off-route on pitch eight. We named the climb by adding the ages of all team members and our old guide, because we all had the same climbing dream: 353 Years Old Dreaming (650m, 13 pitches, 5.11a).

Abridged from a report by Wang Zhiming, translated by Sean Wang, and provided by Demin Ma, China