Sabah - Borneo - page 131

THE CLIMB TO THE SUMMIT
This schedule assumes you're doing a two-day/one-night ascent of the mountain. You'll
want to check in at park headquarters at around 9am (8.45am at the latest for via ferrata
participants) to pay your park fees, grab your guide and start the ascent (four to six hours)
to Laban Rata (3272m) where you'll spend the night before finishing the climb. On the
following day you'll finish scrambling to the top at about 2.30am in order to reach the
summit for a breathtaking sunrise over Borneo.
A climb up Kinabalu is only advised for those in adequate physical condition. The trek
is tough, and every step you take will be uphill. You will negotiate several obstacles along
the way, including slippery stones, blinding humidity, frigid winds and slow-paced trek-
kers. Mountain Torq compares the experience to squeezing five days of hiking into a
38-hour (or less, if you do the one-day climb) trek.
There are two trail options leading up the mountain - the Timpohon Trail and the
Mesilau Trail. If this is your first time climbing Kinabalu, we advise taking the Timpohon
Trail - it's shorter, easier (but by no means easy!) and more convenient from the park
headquarters (an hour's walk or short park shuttle ride; RM16.50 one-way per vehicle,
four-person maximum). If you are participating in Mountain Torq's via ferrata, you are
required to take the Timpohon Trail in order to reach Laban Rata in time for your safety
briefing at 4pm. The Mesilau Trail offers second-time climbers (or fit hikers) the oppor-
tunity to really enjoy some of the park's natural wonders. This trail is less trodden so the
chances of seeing unique flora and fauna are higher.
As you journey up to the summit, you'll happen upon signboards showing your pro-
gress - there's a marker every 500m. There are also rest shelters (pondok) at regular inter-
vals, with basic toilets and tanks of unfiltered (but potable) drinking water. The walking
times that follow are conservative estimates - don't be surprised if you move at a slightly
speedier pace, and certainly don't be discouraged if you take longer - everyone's quest for
the summit is different.
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
As your two-day Kinabalu adventure comes to an end and you limp across the Timpohon Gate a shrivelled bundle
of aching muscles and bones, don't forget to glance at the climbing records chart. Every year the Kinabalu Inter-
national Climbathon ( http://climbathon.sabahtourism.com ) attracts the fittest athletes from around the world for
a competitive climb-off as dozens of hikers zoom up the mountain a la the Road Runner. The oldest person to
reach the summit was a Japanese lady who battled her way to the top at the grand old age of 90. So just remember,
when you're smugly slinking by slower hikers, there are pensioners out there who would leave you for dead…