In August 2014, Garrett Bradley, Christopher Miller, and I headed to the Jarjinjabo area in the Garrapunsum Massif. There, we climbed a 10-pitch (ca 400m) route on the south face of Jabo Tower. The upper portion of the route joined lines established in 2002 and 2004. With little to no information on the climbing in this area, we found it confusing as to where established lines existed. For this reason I have written a comprehensive guidebook for the entire Garrapunsum and Xiashe massifs. In addition to the rock climbs, I've also added information about mountaineering routes on the major peaks in the area. This, I hope, will help avoid future confusion. The creation of a guide is also a positive step toward opening the area for more recreational climbing. It will be available in pdf format (US$10) from www.junshanclimber.com.  

After a three- to four-hour uphill walk from the monastery, an advanced base camp can be established in the cirque below the two main towers—Jammo and Jabo—at ca 4,700m, where there is a water source. Jammo was first climbed to below the summit by Eiji Daigo, Yuriko Kowaka, Naoki Ohuchi, and Taizo Yoshida (Japan) in 2001. The following year Pete Athans, Mark Synnott, and Jared Ogden (American) repeated their route and added another. None of these ascents climbed the summit block, which was overcome first in 2004 by Bernie Laforest and Jonathan Knight (American), who climbed one pitch of offwidth/chimney and then a second of 5.11 face climbing, protected by four bolts and a piton. Jabo was first climbed in 2002 by Athans, Synnott, and Ogden. Lower in the cirque are smaller spires, several of which were climbed in 2002 by Synnott and Ogden, by a variety of routes from 5.8–5.11.

Mike Dobie, China