Not so quick update on Mt.Kinabalu latest happenings

Ever since I was totally hooked on Mt.Kinabalu via ferrata activity conducted by non other than the Mountain Torq company, I was quick to follow them on Facebook just like any typical ardent fan will follow their ultimate favorite band which in my case I fan DJ Tiesto and The Prodigy on my Facebook. Gosh, I just love them. Sorry, just cannot help myself from getting off track from the topic. =)

Anyhow, since I am following Mountain Torq or the Via Ferrata Asia group in Facebook, I have the privileges of getting updates on anything regarding Mt. Kinabalu. Of late I have been getting news about water shortage at the mountain due to the dry weather. Without rain for close to four weeks since late February it resulted to low water reserve on the mountain * this was update I received on March 9. Due to that facilities on the mountain are forced to go on the water conservation mode by limiting water usage strictly only for cooking and drinking. No showers allowed for guest's accommodation. As on March 21, the group updated that rain finally showered the mountain however it was not heavy enough to fill up the water reserve.

Other updates...

I just found out there will be a charity climb on the mountain conducted by Shelter Home for Children, KL. The charity climb will be held from 18-21 April 2010. I am not sure if you can still participate in the charity climb with them since if I read correctly, the registration date was closed on the 26 February. However, if you are interested to donate towards their drive to raise RM100,000 for their Shelter Home you can still do so by contacting them directly here. What is interesting about this climb is that a one legged young man is going to attempt the climb towards the summit and if you happen to be climbing Mt.Kinabalu on the same date as them, do give your support for these climbers. Too bad I am only climbing in May.

I just hope the weather will get better and the mountain will see more rain in days to come. On that note, I should be training more since April is coming pretty soon. Yikes! My stamina is still not up to standard and April is going to be a do  or die training regime. Until more updates, happy training to my fellow comrades and safe climbing for all climbers.

Must do at Mt. Kinabalu - Via Ferrata

Another must-do attraction up Mount Kinabalu wil be none other than the Via Ferrata experience right from the summit of the highest mountain in Borneo. I first came across the Via Ferrata experience from another local outdoor adventure blogger but I didn't give so much notice about it. I was thinking, oh well, it was just another person climbing up Mt. Kinabalu.

A couple of months later, I stumbled upon the Mountain Torq's website while Googling on "how to prepare for Mt. Kinabalu climb" since I will be stepping foot yet again over at Mt. Kinabalu pretty soon. After checking out the Mountain Torq's official website and watched through their video, I was so amazed and excited about it that I really wanted to do the Via Ferrata too!

First up, what in the world is this Via Ferrata?

A via ferrata (Italian for "iron road". Plural vie ferrate. In German, Klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. Walkers and climbers can follow via ferratas without needing to use their own ropes and belays, and without the risks associated with unprotected scrambling and climbing - Wikipedia

Still clueless about it reading the definition despite above? Oh wait, you didn't bother to read the little Wiki definition I pasted above right? *wink

Alright then, this is a via ferrata.

* a print screen of the Google Images search for "via ferrata mt.kinabalu"

[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Via Ferrata at Mt.Kinabalu, Sabah"][/caption]

So as clearly seen here, via ferrata is where you climb a rocky mountain that has been fixed with special equipments which allow anyone without rock climbing experience to safely maneuver the mountain. Also, via ferrata by all means is not the same as rock climbing.

What is it doing at Mt. Kinabalu?
For all that I know, it's the World's Highest Via Ferrata and it's right here in Borneo, South East Asia. So what more are you asking? It's the highest in the world so you better land your feet at this via ferrata.

How to get to the starting point of this Via Ferrata?

I don't know if you already have an idea on how to get to this via ferrata. Obviously, if you are used to mountaineering, you would have instantly know the answer to this question. But being silly me, not dumb ( that's an understatement, haha), I just have no idea about where and how to start this via ferrata at Mt. Kinabalu. After much reading, I finally figured that you first have to climb the mountain up until the summit and the ferrata experience starts if you choose to descent down the mountain via the ferrata route. So it goes to show that, if you want to experience the highest via ferrata in the world, like it or not, you have to climb the highest mountain in Borneo- Mt. Kinabalu first. That makes a lot of sense right?

Furthermore, pre-booking is obviously necessary if you choose to follow this ferrata route and most certainly a bigger budget for your all together, unforgettable Mt.Kinabalu experience. As for this coming May which is the month I'm going to climb this mountain, we will not try out on this via ferrata. Hence, there will be more reason to come back to Sabah again soon just for the sake of the via ferrata experience.

If you happen to have done this particular via ferrata, do drop down some comments over at this post. Probably you can share some experience and stories about it with us. =)