TAMOTSU (TOM) NAKAMURA

Conference and Journey – Sichuan October 2017
Part I Conference at Sichuan University and Mt. Siguniang
1. Sichuan University
1) The Sixth International Conference of Mountain Outdoor Safety and Health washeld on October 11th to 13th, 2017. The conference was sponsored and organized by
the Sichuan University and the Siguniang Mountains Management Bureau having
support of the Outdoor Sports Institute of Sichuan University.
2) Overseas main speakers and lectures:
Tamotsu (Tom) Nakamura, Chairman of Hengduan Mountains Club, Japan –Mountains of Southeast Tibet and West Sichuan Highlands.
He Zhiming, rock climbing expert Hong Kong –Safety Guarantee during the climbing.
Several professors such as Prof. Li Cheng of the Sichuan University made lectures
on safety, high altitude sickness and acclimatization, history of explorations,1

From left-Liu Yong, Event producer, Nakamura, Prof. Li Cheng of Sichuan University2Morning session – (left: Liu Yong, right: Nakamura)

Afternoon session –Liu Yong leading questions/answers/discussions
32. Mt. Siguniang
The Siguniang Mountain Outdoor Experts International Forum 2017 was held at Mt.
Siguniang town from October 13th to 15th.
The forum was sponsored and organized by Siguniang Mountains Management Bureau,
Aba Prefecture Sports Bureau, Outdoor Sports Institute of Sichuan University andoperatedbySiguniang

Mountains

ManagementBureau

OutdoorActivities

Management Center and Sichuan Leisure Sports Science Management Association.
Nakamura made lecture on Peak Identification of Sichuan Mountains and He Zhiming
talked on activities of Ngok Fung Climbing Society of Hong Kong.
Chinese professors and experts made presentation about various themes relating tomountaineering and outdoor sports.
Participants visited the mountain museum and enjoyed a half day tour to beautiful
Shuangqiao Valley. At the end of conference participants were guided to the Monumentof 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

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Tibetan girls welcoming participants(left) Nakamura (right) Zho, General Mgr.

Liu Yong (right end) leading the panel talks and discussions
5Mt. Siguniang Museum at Siguniang Town (formerly Rilong)

Same as above
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Hongkong--Climbing

Participants visited Kenzo Okawa private museum.
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Participants in the forum

Rock peaks of beautiful Shuangqiao valley
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Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 triggered avalanche on Mt. Siguninag.main peak

Monument of Sichuan Earthquake 2008
9Part II Journey to Hidden Mountains in the Dadu River basin
Areas off the beaten tracks are closed to foreigners in south and east Tibet. Control is
becoming tighter and we would be closely watched by public security police in theregions, which used to be my fields for explorations in the last decade. No permits are
now issued for un-opened borderland. I applied to enter south of Namcha Barwa, but it
was turned down. We wait for improvement of the situation in not a distant future.
Then, instead of east Tibet, I chose a short trip searching hidden peaks along the Dadu
River basin as an alternative. My colleague of senior explorers, Mr. Tsuyosi Nagai (85years old), Zhang Jiyue of Sichuan Earth Expeditions and I (82 years old) departed fromChengdu on October 16 soon after the Conference at Mt. Siguniang.
The first objective was to unveil unknown rock peaks over 5,000m along the Dadu River.
Fortunately we could make very efficient search in the valley of Jingtang district
immediate east of the Dadu River. These untouched rock peaks form a part of the Jaojin
Mountains. We also had a good chance to drive through a new road and newly
developing touristic spot with unique cultural heritage and history.

Itinerary of Journey – October 2017
October 16, cloudy: Chengdu – Luding – Guza (Dadu River basin)
October 17, cloudy, fine: Guza – Jintang – Guza (searching hidden rock peaks)
October 18, cloudy, fine: Guza – Kangding – Muge Tso (lake)
October 19, foggy, perfectly fine: Kangding – via new road –Kangding Airport – Tagong
grasslands – Bami – Tanba
October 20, fine: Tanba – Dingguo Mountains – Tanba
Ootober 21, cloudy: Tanba – down Dadu River – Tanba
October 22, cloudy, snow, cloudy: Tanba – Siguniang (snowing) – Chengdu
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To Hidden Mountains – 5000m Rock Peaks

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On October 16, we headed to a local town Guza（姑咱）on the right bank of Dadu Riverthat was a base to enter the valley for exploration. We came across a hive ofconstruction everywhere even in the frontier – tunnels and bridges for highway anddams for hydro power stations. Highway construction from Ya’an to Kangding is to befinished in a year, and then Chengdu-Kangding will be only three hours. Guza waspreviously a shabby town but is now a modern city. Development in China is incredibly
fast and dynamic though environments are being destructed.
On October 17, weather became fine. At 25km north of Guza we entered a branch valleyof Jintang (金湯郷) east side of Dadu River for seeking veiled rock peaks. It was exciting.
12Highway construction between Ya’an and Kangding

Suspension bridge under construction over Dadu River near Luding
13Guza is now a modern city, altitude: 1480m

Base for dam and road construction – Dadu River is civil construction site
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Rock peaks are seen from Jintang valley, altitude of Jintang town: 2030m

5457m rock peak south face15

5000m rock peaks southeast face seen from Jintang valley

Same as above16

5000m rock peaks southeast face seen from Jintang valley

Same as above

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Aerial view of rock 5000m peaks west of Jintang valley seen in foreground

Aerial view of Kongga massif and peaks searched in October 2017. All unclimbed
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5300m rock peaks west face east of Jintang valley

Guza town and Dadu River19

Revised Plan –Kangding to Danba
We first intended to go up to Danba 丹巴 along the Dadu River 大渡河. Road was closed
because of large landslides at the point 30km north of Guza. This brought us an
unexpected fortune to visit newly developed touristic places. In the late afternoon ofOctober 17 we moved to Kangding 康 定 2550m from Gusa.1480m. Kangding isdeveloping as a center of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is now a big city.
On October 18 we visited Muge Tso 木格措 (lake 3780m), which is now one of the mostfantastic spots in the vicinity attracting many Chinese tourists. We could view Lotus
Flower Mountains and Lamoshe massif.
On October 19, perfect fine weather, we headed to Danba via a new road to Tagong
grassland and then via an ordinary road to Danba. Mountains landscapes from the newroad wa fascinating. In Danba we were welcomed by a Japanese photographer, Kenzo
Okawa 大川健三, who lives in Danba.

Muge Tso – a lake of scenic beauty at 3780m20Entrance to Muge Tso (Lake)21

5000m rock peaks of Lotus Flower Mountains seen on the way to Muge Tso

Same as above

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Lotus Flower Mountains seen from a new road to Kanging Airport

Yala Shan 5820m (Haizi Shan) south face seen from a new road to Kangding Airport
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Left: Lamoshe 6070m, center: Baihaiz Shan 5924m seen on the way to Muge Tso

Lamoshe Massif seen on a new road to Kangding Airport(Peak identification is shown in the following page)

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Minya Konka 7556m north face seen from near Kangding Airport 4100m(from left) Mt. Edgar 6618m, Jiazi Feng 6540m, Tsongshan 6886m, Grosvenor 6376m
North face seen from near Kangding Airport 4100m

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Stone forest park between Tagong grassland and Bami town

Yala Shan (Haizi Shan) 5820m north face27

From left – Mrs. Okawa, Nakamura, Mr. Okawa, Zhang Jiyue, Nagai at Danba

New Touristic Place – Dingguo Mountain 頂果山Bodhisattva 大菩薩 5448m has long been a mystery. I tried to access to this mountain
together with Zhang Jiyue in 1997, twenty years ago, but we could not have even aglimpse.
Mr. Okawa hinted that this mountain would possibly be sighted from an old monasterywest of Danba near Dingguo Mountains being newly developed as a resort place. He
showed me a picture. Jiyue had the same opinion. Jiyue’s friend of Guangdong investor
opened Dingguo Mountain Landscape Hotel at 3330m.
On October 20, we entered a valley to reacj the old and historical monastery “DingguoTemple” at 3130m and the new hotel. We first went to the monastery which was built
2,800 years ago (origin: Bon), where we could view Bodhisattva and rock peaks rangingto the west. Contrary to my imagination, however, the mountain profile was not
impressive nor attractive. We also paid a visit to the Landscape Hotel.
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Temple and mountains viewed from Landscape HotelHistorical Dingguo Temple
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Bodhisattva 5448m (left end) and ranging rock peaks viewed from the temple

Bodhisattva 5448m in center viewed from near the Temple, Photo: Kenzo Okawa
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Landscape Hotel
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On October 21, we planned to go up north from Tanba to seek another hidden peak closeto Xaiaqiangla 5470m first climbed by a Japanese party from Hiroshima, which is in thenorthernmost of Daxue Shan Range. The following picture was taken by Kenzo Okawa.

Left: Xianqiangla 5470m, right: unnamed/ stunning unclimbed ca. 5400m east face
As the weather was bad, however, we resigned to explore this area. Instead we went
down the Dadu River to see historical stone towers, important legacy of Gyaron region.

Stone towers built 800 years ago near Tanba city32

On October 22, we left Tanba, “Valley of Beauty”, for Chengdu via Mt. Siguniang while
it was snowing. We safely returned to Changdu with entire satisfaction. We could earnvery positive yields.

Festival in Danba, beautiful Tibetan girls dancing, Photo: Kenzo Okawa

Mt. Siguniang town in snowing
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