The West Mt. Hua is my favorite mountain among the Five Great Mountains. In contrast to the East Mt. Tai that were visited by ancient Chinese emperors for official worship, the West Mt. Hua seemed to be inhabited by hermits, its style of being mysterious, unofficial, and highbrowed.
Accordingly, Mt. Hua has the deserved reputation of danger, with many exposed and narrow path of precipitous drops. The path to the Chess Pavilion and the Plank Walk are two separate, short, and famous routes that both begin with vertical down climbing with ropes and carabiners.
When you climb, you can sometimes see highly exposed and shallow steps carved on huge, steep, and featureless granite, not for tourists and totally without any protection! Those are used in the old times and one couldn't help being shocked and wondering how the ancient Chinese use them as a routine for ascent.
Though mainly being touristic, the mountain always has some other sides for the real outdoor people. The West Mt. Hua is very famous for its amazing big walls.
| Type | Touristic climbing |
| Style | Solo |
| Altitude | 450M - 2150M |
| Distance | 25KM |
| Duration | 2 days |
| Date | Sep. 2009 |
| Place | Shaan Xi |
