I got the chance to team up with one of Squamish’s prolific first ascentionists, Paul Mcsorley in Henan, China!

Though the temperatures crashed out to the 40s with rain during our brief stop in the area, we were able to put a new multipitch alongside some efforts by our local climbing friends. Now, there are more multipitches to climb in this part of the world!

This range is full of incredible topography. The Wanxian Mountains of central Henan province are a wildly layered series of mountains and tablelands that stretch for miles and miles along the border of Henan and Shanxi provinces. This area may as well look like something out of a fantasy novel because the topography feels like that of another plant! Purple sandstone quartzite towers above the valleys below, leading to near-completely flat highlands. behind those highlands, soaring peaks of limestone sit directly atop the quartzite below!

Coincidentally, this range was the site of my very first first ascent, back when I was a stoked-but-clearly-underinformed college student back in 2012. I had no idea, back then, of the true potential this area had. But 13 years later, with all the learning I have done in the subsequent years, I think it is safe to say that this park could be one of the best area to develop multipitch rock in China!

More write ups about the area coming soon!