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About Peanuts Travels


This blog shares my travel experiences esp in mountain trekking which I have developed a great interest since my 1st climb in Taiwan. Since then I
have been trying to climb more mountains whenever I can. And to couple my climbs with leisure travelling to places of adventure. The freedom of doing what
you want and where you want, is the true meaning of travelling.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Snow Mountain (雪山)

Snow Mountain, aka Xueshan (雪山), which stands at an altitude of 3886m, is Taiwan's second highest peak. It is located along the Snow Mountain Range (雪山山脈) which stretches from the north county of Yilan (宜蘭) to the central county of Nantou (南投). Xueshan is part of the Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園) and to get there, you will need to reach Wuling Farm (武陵農場) which is the start point of the trek. The entire trek takes a total of 3 days with the 1st day mainly on getting there. The 2nd and 3rd day is where the long hours of trekking are and taking on the summit. .



Sunset at Danshui

After 6 months from my previous trek on Yushan, I am back in Taiwan for my second trek on Taiwan’s second highest peak, Xueshan (雪山). It was end October 2006; the weather was cooling at an average of 22 degree celsius in Taipei. The weather was quite abrupt with some days cloudy while others were clear blue skies. We had a few days of fun at Taipei, Danshui (淡水), and LeeFoo Theme Park Village before our trek.


On Day 1, our mountain guide friend came on time at 9am at the Taipei Railway Station to pick us up for the drive from to Wuling Farm. The day started off with really bad weather. The Taipei skies were darkened with heavy clouds and rain was falling with string winds. But the good news from our guide was that the weather in the central region of Taiwan was reported to be clear skies and sunny. I was quite skeptical about his comments but it was later convinced when we arrived at Wuling Farm. After leaving Taipei, we were on the highway towards Yilan through the newly opened Snow Mountain Tunnel (雪山隧道). This tunnel is the longest dual passageway tunnel in Asia, and it stretches for a total of 12.9km. With speed restriction on vehicles at 60km/h, clearing the tunnel took us approx 20mins. At around 11am, we reached Yilan City (宜蘭市) and on our way on highway 7 towards LiShan (利山). We can feel the temperature going down as we drive into the mountains. Around 2pm, we reached Wuling Farm where we stopped for lunch.
Sea of lavender at Snow Mountain Park
Lavenders in bloom


There were patios and patios of lavender decorating the driveway to the visitor centre as we drove past them. The weather has cleared up and there were lots of radiation from the sun’s rays. This was much preferred than the cloudy and wet weather in Taipei. It was a weekday and there were still tour buses parked at the visitor centre.

Great weather at the National Park
Carpark area if the Park HQ



After our lunch, we drove further into the Wuling Farm to the Snow Mountain Administration Office at the farthest end of the road. The office (see above) is located on the slopes of the mountain, over looking the opposite mountain range. The view was really breathtaking. You could see the clouds pouring down on the mountain and the evening sun (around 5pm) casting a shadow of the mountain behind us on the opposite mountain.


Reporting station for the climb (watch a video)
Afternoon view at the trailhead (reporting station)


On Day 1, after discussing with some other trekkers, some have opted to take the quick approach to reach the summit. The approach was to dump all the heavy backpacks (food esp.) at Chika, and make a fast and lightly loaded accent to the summit. This will take less time without the load and make it back to Chika by nightfall. The original plan was to rest the night at the 369 mountain lodge which is the lodge closest to the summit. The reason to take the alternate approach was to overcome the steep and tough trek between Chika and 369 lodge. Doing a round trip from 369 to the summit requires about 3 hours. Hence we took the alternate approach and started our day 2 trek with a light load.

At 3am, we moved off from the Chika lodge and made our way through the forested trail behind the lodge. It was pitch dark and headlights or any torchlight is a must to trek at this time of the morning. The trail started off gentle and as we moved higher, the trail became much rocky with loose rocks. As we came out of the forested trail, we came to a clearing and we can clearly see the opposite mountains that we saw at the trailhead. Little sparkle of orange street lights came from the Wuling Farm below us. A check on my altimeter watch showed 2700m. There was a viewing platform at the clearly where we can see the skies starting to brighten up. The layers of cloud seemed motionless, sitting on the peaks of the mountains.

Sunrise while on the trail
Morning sea of clouds
Here the sun rises from the clouds

After a quick break and some light snacks, we were on our way up the steep slopes of the trail. This is the part of the trail where they named it 哭坡。After overcoming this leg of the trail, one can understand the strenuous effort to the extent that you can cry over it.


The trail after哭坡 was less strenuous, but there were still some roller-coaster trails for us to clear. The trail at the point was narrow as it run along the ridgeline. We can see both sides of the slope as we tracked carefully with our hiking sticks along the ridgeline. After another 2 hours, we reach our first peak. The XueShan East peak (雪山東峰, 3150m). The weather was great and we could see all the distant mountains that surrounded the spot where we stood on. The sun was a great welcome as we warmed ourselves by doing a bit of sun tanning.



At the Snow Mountain East Peak


After some photo shots, we made our way down the hill towards the 2nd mountain lodge 369. The trail from the eastern peak to 369 lodge was downhill and gentle all the way. The lodge was located at a lower altitude than the XueShan East Peak.



On the trail to the lodge 369
Remnants of previous forest fires.


As we got closer to 369 lodge, there were some interesting ‘white trees’. Did hear about some fires many years back that created some phenomenon. Just behind the lodge, there were some trees already in dull red color, readying themselves for the coming winter. It took an hour from arrived at lodge 369 from the eastern peak. The lodge was quite empty except for loads of backpacks stack in the bunks. Many of the trekkers have made off for the summit for view the sunrise. They must have rested for the night at the 369 lodge prior to the ascent to the summit. We took our light meals at the lodge before setting off for the summit. Taking the zigzag trail behind the lodge, we made our way to the black forest (黑深林). Once we entered the black forest, we can felt the temperature dropped because of the lack of sunlight due to the thick canopy of the forest. There were lots of dead fall, fallen trunks were laid across the slopes of the forest. After making through a few hundred meters into the forest, we and our mountain guide friend decided it may not be wise to carry on because of the change in weather and the amount of time left to get to the summit and make our way back to the Chika Lodge. Because we chose the alternate approach in reaching the summit with light load, we left our sleeping gears back at Chika lodge. If we push on towards the summit, we may be making our way back to Chika in the dark. A decision was made to head back. We were so close to the summit, yet we have no choice but to make our way back to Chika Lodge. If we had followed the initial plan and sleep for the night at 369 lodge with all equipment. We can make it to the summit and make our way back to the trailhead all in one day. As our guide told us, “The mountain is always there, you can come back again”.

The descent was a quick one, our pace of footsteps increased as we made our way back to Chika Lodge. When we reached the viewing platform after descending from KuPo (哭坡), I took a photograph of the other trekkers making their way down.


Groups of hikers descending the 哭坡
Snow Mountain Peak?


We rested for the 2nd night at Chika Lodge before making our way back to the trai lhead on day 3 morning. Our mountain guide friend gave us a ride to Taichung which was our next destination for our trip. I believed there will be a time when I will come again and put my trekking shoes on Snow mountain again.

If you are interested in Snow mountain and planning to get your friends for this trek. Just drop me a mail, I can help you make the arrangement with my mountain guide friend. Maybe I will join in as well.


2nd Climb on Snow Mountain (2009)

We came back to scale snow mountain with a group of friends this time round around Nov 2009. Weather was bad for the start from the trail head to the first lodge of Chika. Luckily the initial day's walk was just 2 hours from the trail head to the Chika Lodge where we spent the night since it was already afternoon time when we departed from Taipei in the morning.

Rain & Mist all around

At the Chika Lodge

Chika Lodge
It was a hot soup and rice for dinner before the night's rest.

Next morning climb. Misty and windy (less the rain)

The next morning, the rain has stopped but it was still very misty and windy. Nothing much to see, no views. Just walking in the fog. The trail was wet due to the heavy morning mist, but the air cool and fresh, good for the lungs when doing such exercise. When we reached the steep KuPo (哭坡), the wind was very strong. There is a big resting platform for hikers to enjoy the mountain range view, but there was no view at that time. Still we rested a while there but couldn't stay too long as it was freezing cold because of the strong wind.

At the Snow Mountain East Summit(Bags all around)


At the summit (east peak)
Path that continues on to Lodge 369
After clearing the KuPo, it was only a short hike up another trail that we reached the East Peak of Snow Mountain. Bags off was the first thing and everyone went to take picture with the signage of the summit. The weather has cleared up a bit. no more strong winds, except that we were still surrounded by thick clouds. There was some short duration of the sun breaking through the clouds. From here it was downhill all the way to lodge 369. Come to think of it, shouldn't be going higher and higher? Lodge 369 is located at a lower altitude than the east peak. It was a easy hike through the forest area again and once we emerged from it, we could see the lodge 369 just a short distance away.


SanLiuJiu (369) Lodge
All about 369 cabin
It was still cloudy but the weather was calm and cooling. It was about lunch time (12noon) that we reached the cabin, we quick meal from our dried foodstuff and off to the bunks to rest since there was nothing else to do. The guide did ask if we want to go for the summit since we had so much of time. A round trip to the summit and back could be 4~5 hrs. But with the dark clouds above and did not think there was much to see, we preferred the original plan and waited for the next morning summit challenge.

Cold and freezing. All wrapped up

Sky clearing up during dinner time

369 cabin
The cabin itself, I could only say it was not very well maintained. There wasn't a caretaker like the over popular Paiyun cabin (Mt Yushan trek) and the interior does need a makeover. Luckily it was not peak season and we were the only group in the cabin. Over at evening time a few more small groups came.

The next morning, we started the hike at about 3am, walking through the mysterious Black forest. There were incidents of hikers getting lost in the past, but not the path is more well fence up so that hikers don't take the wrong path at night. Why it was called black forest was because of the dense forest vegetation and it canopy blocked out much light from the skies. Well i would say it may be some exaggeration over the description.  The climb was steep and at times some members need to slow down to rest a bit. In the end, we missed the sunrise at the summit, but we were able to see the golden yellow sunrise painting the mountain valleys. The sight was warming and comforting even though we were not at the top.

Sunrise in the mountains

Valley in sunrise lighting. Summit on the left
Taking the trail to the summit
The open area was vast and view was stunning. It was like we were surrounded by a wall of mountains and it made us feel so small and insignificant. The trail on the left started to climb and lead to the summit. The trail actually goes up a rather difficult slope to the ridge line of the mountain top where the summit point lies.

Nearing the top ? Not yet

The trail we took.
 
Walking along ridge line
As we near the top, there were more of broken rock piece similar to those that could be found in Yushan. Small little rock plates. Surprisingly there were little alpine shrubs that could within the cold up at that altitude.



Finally, the summit of the Snow Mountain (Syue Mountain).  Weather may not be the best but it was good enough for us. We could see the clear blue skies above, and ocassionally clouds came and covered us momentarily. There seemed to be a narrow passage for the clouds to come from once side of the ridge and got vapourised once they cross over.

Holy O trail, Ridge line trekking
There was a signboard explaining the ridge line trek from Snow Mountain all the way to DaBaJianShan. It was just our group at the summit, meaning no one came to see the sunrise on time. My guess was to see the sunrise, one has to start the climb earlier from 369 cabin

Another group just arrived at the summit. Brewing coffee
From here it was all the way back to 369 cabin and to Chika before the car park for the drive back to Taipei where the yummy food was waiting for us.

The black forest when appeared in daylight look inviting and cooling, being the only place to give us shade from the sun ever since it came out in full as we started the descent.

Walking thru the Black Forest

Some directional sign boards
Descending is always much faster and the skies was clearing quite fast. The area between the 369 cabin and the forest entrance was quite bare.  There was a big fire recently during our climb and the fire came very close to the 369 cabin. Remants of the forest fire still could be seen here.

Burned line where the fire was.


369 cabin in sight after leaving the Black Forest
From the cabin, we packed up our sleeping bags and backpacks and started the hike back to teh trail head. The sun was coming out in full force and halfway through we were sweating and not longer feel cold. Under the sun it was warm, under the shade of a tree and it was chilly. What a nice way to warm and cool down. 

On the ridgeline towards KuPo

Smaller sea of clouds just crossing the mountain range

Somewhere around 2pm, we reached the carpark and started the long drive alogn the east coast via the town of Yilan, going through the Snow Mountain tunnel and in no time, back in the city of delicious food and nite markets. I don't think I have to say where we went after there.


106 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi - how much it cost to climb in Taiwan? In your opinion I should do Jade Mt first or Snow mountain first? Thanks!

Peanuts said...

The price of the climb may change. Back in 2010, I did the climb with friends to Snow Mountain. Maybe 5000-6000 NT should be enough and the cost comes the guide service, transportation, mountain permit and insurance. Few year back the Taiwan National Parks allows climbing with a guide, but you still need to get the mountain permit from the police station and register at the park before climbing. Preference, not really depends what you want. Jade mountain being the highest point in Taiwan, but popular and getting mountain lodge accommodation booking needs to be done way in advance. Snow mountain is less crowded easier to get booking. Jade mountain is really a summit point where sides are steep and you can feel that you are at top of the world. Snow mountain is a peak on a ridge line so more space and you don't that you are very high. Height different is just maybe 200m difference. On a good day at Snow mountain you can see Jade Mountain. Try to climb outside the typhoon season to avoid disappointment. Gets pretty dangerous up the mountains when weather turns real bad.

Anonymous said...

Hello,

would you be able to recommend a tour company to climb Snow Mountain? Thanks!

Peanuts said...

Sure. Do you speak Chinese ? If not the options will be more limited. Of course you can still climb on your own if you have done mountain hiking before. Just need to apply permit n arrange for transport.

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I just realised you are Singaporean too. Er I do speak Chinese..perhaps a good reference would be a ACS level rather than a HCI level though. I think I would be able to survive a chinese-speaking climb though. But I'm not comfortable with climbing on my own..yet!

Peanuts said...

Yes. True blue Singaporean lah. Chinese speaking will do. Just for communicating with the guide and for logistic purposes. Will the climb just be you or with a group of friends? You can form your own group if not you can join their mixed groups. May I know your email so that I could email the information to u.? Will not publish that.

Peanuts said...

Have sent you the information you need. Let me know if you need other information on Taiwan if need to. Enjoy your climb.

Agnes said...

I am planning to go for Xue Shan next year. How difficult the climb is compared to Mount KK? As I seen u have climbed Mount KK too?
Thanks for sharing ur experience.

Peanuts said...

Hi Agnes.

I would say kk is much tougher. You need to scale 1300m in altitude in a day to get to the laban rata lodge at about 3200m. Then the nectar day submit of another 800to reach the top. Lotsa steps to climb. Snow mountain is more easier. The climb spans across 3 days. Day 1 , reaching the trail head, warm up walk of 2 hours to reach chika lodge. Sleep thru the night. Next morning start walk at 8am. Do a 4-5hrs hike to 369 lodge at 3300m. Then day 3 final climb to the summit , takes about 4 hrs to summit. The spread of the walks are much easier than kk. But of course not as commercialize as Kk, no cafeteria to serve hot food. No buffet. You carry the food or the guide carry. Seldom hikers ask for potters. You will come across and meet more seasoned hikers. Scenary wise. Snow mountains has great views. But kk summit is extraordinary. Snowmountain when coming in late autumn or early spring may be able to see snow.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts.. Stumbled upon your blog like the rest when I was trying to find more info regarding Xueshan..

Can you recommend your guide to me? And wanna check with you, if we don't hire a porter.. do we need to cook the food ourselves?

Thanks alot for the info!

Peanuts said...

porters are meant to carry your backpacks. they won't cook for u. the guide will handle ur meals. all the pots n cooking stuff he or she will prepare. Taiwan open up to non guide few years back. you can climb on your own, just make sure u get the mountain permits for some of these mountains including snow mountain. with guide they settle these admin n transport for u. how big is your group? any email I can drop the info to you?

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts!
Me and my friends are interested to hike Snow mountain too.
Please email me your Taiwan guide info - riginsg@gmail.com

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanuts!My friends and I are interested to hike Snow Mountain too. Please email me your guide info - riginsg@gmail.com
Thank you.

Peanuts said...

hi Ellesor, I will reply to your email soon. btw currently snow mountain in covered in partial snow and hikers are able to scale to the summit. when do you plan for the hike?

Unknown said...

Hi, late February or early March if possible. Thanks for the reply.

Unknown said...

Late February or early March if possible. Thanks for the reply.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanut,

We are planning to climb Xueshan in July this year. Can you share your contact for the guide? Please send to limgarian@gmail.com. Thanks alot.

Unknown said...

Hi I am planning to climb Xueshan in July and happen to come across your blog. Can you share your guide contact? Also do you have any recommended minshu to stay around Wuling area? Please send the contact to limgarian@gmail.com. Thanks alot

Unknown said...

Hi peanuts,

I din realized you've replied my question. I planned to climb end of the year probably end of nov.. trying to witness some snow.

My email is aaron.tkp@gmail.com

thanks alot!

Unknown said...

HI peanuts,

I din realized that you've replied my question earlier on. So sorry

I m planning my trip end of this year probaly beginning of Dec.

Is it advisable to go just with my group of friends without a guide?

My email is aaron.tkp@gmail.com

Peanuts said...

Hi Aaron,

If u are climbing during winter season ir near winter season with snow around, I would suggest you gwt a guide. Cos the trail once covered by snow you may not know where is the path. Guide will know the way and which areas are risky come winter season. You can enjoy the hike more without worry about getting lost n maybe learn a few tricks from the guide. Winter you will need crampons on your shoes due to the snow..

Unknown said...

Hi peanuts,

Thanks alot for the info. May i have the contact of your guide?

Anonymous said...

Hi there! Thanks for the Snow Mountain write up. Like the others, I intend to climb the mountain soon and would appreciate your help in getting some info.

Your profile pic is EXCELLENT - although I must admit feeling a bit scared just looking at the pic.

my email yeujougmail.com

Peanuts said...

Thanks for the compliment. Come to think of it yes it can be scary, the thought of falling off ans waiting 60 sec till death cos straight drop 1000m. Did the maths. The more you think the unwilling you will be.

For snow mountain how many pax will be climbing and rough date? And any climbing experience? Are you asking for logistics or how to arrange for it?

Anonymous said...

Hi

First thanks to take the effort to post all the information, it is very helpful.

I and my friend are planning to go snow mountain in late Dec. Do you know what kind of extra equipment/foot wear we might need. could you kindly share information on agent/guide to 333peace@gmail.com....thanks in advance

Peanuts said...

Late December. Not sure if you would have e any chance to be walking on snow. But agai you need to have more warmer clothing. Basic equipment is hiking shoes, 3 layer clothings and I would say technical clothing . Not those that you wear for city shopping. Any experience on high alpine hiking before? Do you know or speak Chinese? . The guide are true blue locals and can't converse in English.

kloozo said...

Hi, thanks for the very useful blog. Can i get the contact of your guide as well?

Anonymous said...

Hi, can you share with me your guide information? And is it recommended for first time trekkers to climb xue shan?

Can you email me at beaver_bev1@hotmail.com?

Unknown said...

Hi peanuts,
I plan to do the snow mt hike soon.
Mind to share ur guide contact?
email: backto81@yahoo.com

Peanuts said...

Have repiled to your email. Thx

Anonymous said...

We are looking forward to hike Snow Mountain this between march 27-30. Glad if you could share who we can contact to guide us. There's just the two of and we are willing to join a group if there's anyone climbing during those time.

Thanks,
Weng (Manila, Phil)

Anonymous said...

We are looking forward to hike Snow Mountain between march 27-30. Glad if you could share who we can contact to guide us. There's just the two of us and we don't mind joining a group if there's anyone climbing during those time.
my email: mangyan26@yahoo.com

anyone climbing snow mountain this last week of march?

Thanks,
Weng (Manila, Phil)

Peanuts said...

Hi, are you able to speak n write chinese ? Actually I am also organizing a climb to mt nanhu. Is a 4 day 3 night climb. The climb is 27-30 march.

JH said...

Hi peanuts,

Nice pics and post! May I get the contacts for the guide? We are ok with conversing in Chinese. My email is eggiedan@yahoo.com.sg. Thanks in advance!

JH

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts,

Thanks for sharing your experience to Snow Mountain. I'm planning a hike in October, could you share your guide contact with me please? I can't speak Chinese thus my only option is English speaking guide. Is it safe to hike without a guide during Oct?

My email address is yensim.chan@gmail.com

Peanuts said...

Hi yensim. Will reply to u accordingly

Unknown said...

Hi Peanut ,
Thank for sharing your 雪山 experience. My gp are planning to climb in mid Dec 14.
Can share your mountain guide friend contact with me.
Would like to engage him to for mountain guide, admin , logistic n permit.
Half of my gp have some winter climb experience.
Communicating in Chinese is not a problem .
My email is veron77sg@yahoo.com.sg

Thanks.

Veron

Unknown said...

Hi Peanut ,
Thank for sharing your 雪山 experience. My gp are planning to climb in mid Dec 14.
Can share your mountain guide friend contact with me.
Would like to engage him to for mountain guide, admin , logistic n permit.
Half of my gp have some winter climb experience.
Communicating in Chinese is not a problem .
My email is veron77sg@yahoo.com.sg

Thanks.

Veron

Sixian said...

Hello! Chanced upon your blog - exciting! I'm thinking of going to Xueshan in October. Don't mind send me the contact of your guide and the rates to lim_sixian@hotmail.com pls? Thanks much!

Peanuts said...

Hi Sixian,

Thanks for the compliment. I will reply to your email seperately.

Grace Lim said...

Hi peanuts! May I find out if end oct - early nov is a good time for hiking snow mountain? Aim is to avoid the rain and also have betterview of the sunrise n scenery around

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts
Great post! I want to climb xue shan in december or jan. Can you recommend a guide? I am a singaporean and can speak chinese. I think I might need to rent crampons too. neocronn@hotmail.com Thanks!!

Grace Lim said...

Hi peanuts! Thanks for your lovely post. Is early nov a good time to avoid rain n for a good view of the surrounding n sunrise?
We could chat directly via email if you prefer :) thanks!

Peanuts said...

Hi Grace, yes, you can email me direct. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanuts, thanks for your very detail post on Snow mountain. It looks breath taking and is not so touristy. My gf and I are planning on this hike now, more off-beaten kind. We will like to go in mid Dec. Would you be kind enough to refer me to a guide? Also anywhere to rent the crampons in Wuling? Thanks loads-David (davidlim1986@hotmail.com)

Peanuts said...

Thanks for the compliments. I will reply to your email accordingly.

Anonymous said...

Hi there. Very informative! My friend and I would like to trek xue shan next april 2015. We would like trek on our own without the guide. Can u pls advise how I can apply for the permit and lodge stay? Thank u! My email is tansihuaa@gmail.com

Peanuts said...

Thanks. Will reply to you separately.

michellez said...

Hi there, I'm planning to hike Xueshan this Sep. However, I've not decided if I should do this with or without a guide. I'm a rather seasoned hiker. Could you advise? My email is malfunctionz@gmail.com. Thank you!

Peanuts said...

Hi michellez, you can do xueshan on your own. Route is well mark and doesnt require any ropework or arm power to climb. But as advice is preferably not to do solo as up there in mountains pose some level of danger. Getting there logistically not easy if you dont have own transport. Sep is still within typhoon period. Will further reply to your email

Ahmad Afif said...

Hi peanut!

Dropped by to your blog.

Interested to go for Xueshan hike but one operator told us the all-in price would be 17500 NTD.

I personally think that it is quite expensive for me.

Could you help to recommend?

My email is afifzen@gmail.com

Thanks in advance
Regards

Peanuts said...

Hi Afif,

I will email you seperately. The price of a climb also depends how many of you are climbing. But of course there are some out there that charges a different rate.

kJ03 said...

Hi Peanuts, was looking up for Xueshan and drop by your blog.

I would like to know more info on how to apply permit? i am a seasoned hiker.

Do drop me an email @ superhyperjoe@hotmail.com

Regards and thanks in advance

Peanuts said...

Hi,

Thank for your question. Will reply to your email separately

Sarah said...

Hi Peanuts,

I am going to climb Xueshan in September..
It's the typhoon season so what is your recommendation?

Have you ever hiked in taiwan during the typhoon season?

Peanuts said...

Hi sarah,
I presumed you have gotten your park permit and mountain permit if you are climbing on your own. Are you climbing together with a guide? Typhoon season in taiwan runs from july to oct with oct being the ending part of the season. During these season typhoon may form in the pacific near Philippines and move into taiwan. As long as there is no typhoon detected it is safe to climb. You can check their weather bureau website at www.cwb.gov.tw and see if any typhoon forming and their projected path. Mountains will be closed to all access if typhoon alert is issued. Anyone in the mountain will be made to descend days before the typhoon lands at taiwan. Up there in the mountain is no joke when typhoons comes. Climbers can get blown off the mountain. Recently news u saw about the typhoon racking havoc within cities. It will be unthinkable if someone is up in the mountain. For locals it will be just cancelling the climb. But for overseas visitors like us. We will have to look for others things to do if we cant postphone the air tickets or hotel bookings.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanut, I am looking for someone who can organize my group's climb to Snow Mountain next year, February. Can you email me at bananaq.boy@gmail.com. Thanks in advance.

Ivan Tan said...

Hi Peanuts!

Appreciate the very informative post. A friend and I are planning to go to Taiwan this December and are thinking of climbing Xue Shan while we're there. Will be glad if you could provide me with some info :) Can we communicate via email? My email address is amoeba001@outlook.com

bestkeptsecrets said...

Hi Peanuts!

Appreciate the very informative post. A friend and I are planning to go to Taiwan this December and are thinking of climbing Xue Shan while we're there. Will be glad if you could provide me with some info :) Can we communicate via email? My email address is amoeba001@outlook.com

Peanuts said...

Hi Ivan. I will reply to your email direct.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanuts,

Interesting and informative blog you have there. I am looking at climbing Snow Mountain in January next year... Can I get your guide/driver contact? My email is yi_qi_89@hotmail.com.

Thanks in advance!

Peanuts said...

Hi. Thank you for your comments. Will reply to your email as stated

WS (Billy) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peanuts said...

Hi billy. The months u choose to climb is like full winter. The mountain is closed for casual hikers and you need to have alphine snow experience to climb. Trails will be covered in snow and u need all the snow gear like boots with crampons. It gets difficult at the top and unlikely to get permit. On your own. The risks are there climbing in jan and weather is unpredictable in jan. Your clothing needs to be for winter snow trekking. I would say it is not a good mth to climb. And if the climb is just 2 of you. The cost willbe very high as guides do have minimum pax to cover the days and their profit margin. If you want to see snow and try the hehuanshan which are very simple climbs and accessible by transport. Still u need to have crampons on your shoes to wal on ice.

JJ said...

Hello Peanuts!

Awesome blog! I'm from Singapore!, we managed to get our permit to hike only until East Peak in Early January. Just to enquire, at the trail head entrance, other than showing us a safety video about the mountain, and showing them the mountain entry permit, police permit, IDs, and basic outline of our route, do they check our equipments? I don't have any gps or satellite phone whatsoever. We're having difficulties in sourcing for places that rent crampons as well.

May I ask, is there any transport to the trail head from wuling recreational area? I can't seem to find any information about it. Or would hitch hiking be an alternative way? Thank you so much!

JJ said...

Hi Peanuts!
Thank you for such an informative post. I’m travelling to XueShan with a group of Singaporeans as well. We had gotten the mountain permit to climb until the East Peak during early January as well. May I ask, if your memory serves you well, aside from showing them the mountain entry permit, police permit, IDs, hike route, do we have to do a list of all our equipments? Will they be checking our equipments? I’m really worried that they would not let us in if we didn’t have some equipments (GPS, Satellite phone, Ice Axes, Crampons etc.) I personally do not have crampons and are still having troubles finding a place to rent some.
Our approved route was to go from the trailhead to Qika Hut (spend 1 night), hike to the East Peak, and back to the trailhead.
Thank you so much.

Peanuts said...

I never climbed during the winter months and not sure if they will check ur gear or not. At the wuling area at the trail head there is the place u need to watch a video and where they validate your permits. Is like a reporting station and when i descend. You have to report there as well so they dont activate entire village to look for you. Suggest you email and ask them about the checks. From your hike plan. They allowed u to reach the east peak only maybe because there shd not be much snow. The hike to east peak is hands free and u can just walk without using hands maybe in winter. At 3100m, maybe there is little snow. You have to ask them about the condition during the climb period and if the need on crampons. There are limited buses that ply between wuling to yilan i think or lishan. You can google abit as i recall coming across that previously. Suggest u book accommodation at wuling recreational farm area before the climb as the bus timing may not suit you climb plans. Do prepare for winter hikes. Your sleeping bags, mats, clothing is enough. Look out for the trail markers as you hike to stay on the track.

Peanuts said...

Try to google in chinese. You shd find the bus timing.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts,
Thanks for the informative post and the beautiful photos. My friends and I are planning to do a trek up Xueshan. Will greatly aprreciate if you could share with us some of your contacts and info. My email is sufiyan_armita@yahoo.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Unknown said...

Hello there. Gotta say, lovely lovely blog you have here. Very informative as it is interesting to read. I plan to hike Xueshan as well next year, but if possible without guide service. How much of a hassle would that be? And what do I need to pay apart from transportation and permit(?). Thank you in advance, Peanuts. You can email me too at abdulhadia698@gmail.com

Thanks!

Peanuts said...

Hi,

Yes you can. The standard trail to xueshan main peak.is frequent by foreign climbers as well. Because the trail is so popular and safe, you can climb on your own. Just make sure to apply the park permit which comes with the lodge accommodation and the mountain permit (police). All the info is found on the sheipa national park website. They do have that in english. As long you climb in the non winter months where there is no snow. Permits will not be a problem. But do apply when the application window opens.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts, thanks for the info on Xueshan. My friend and I have obtained our permits and are looking for just a guide to help us navigate our hike in late August. Could you provide any contacts who can help us? Thanks in advance.

Peanuts said...

Hi, may i know how many of you. And are you doing thr xueshan east n main peak? The cost for just 2 person can be high. If it is for this trail. Usually you dont need a guide as the trail are clearly marked. And the route is very popular and touristy. So for the summit from 369. You can start off behind trailing the other groups to te summit. Follow the same trail back to 369. If you have done trekking at this altitude before and have a good sense of following the trail. It shd not be a problem. Take note late august is still typhoon season. Do not go in when typhoon hits. Anyway you need to report to the park ranger station before starting off. You also need to apply for mountain permit. It is a combi.of both. Park and mountain. The bedding allocation at the huts usually comes with the park permit. I can email u the guide to get a quote. You can also drop a message in the response form at the bottom of the blog. I will email u and the guide together. But do not cost for 2 pax can be high. But the guide provide all transport, insurance and safety plus meals ( except lunch).

Wandering Gypsy said...

Thank you for this article peanuts! Very informative. By the way, we (3 of us, non-chinese speaking) are planning to climb snow mountain this coming january 2017. We dont have snow climbing experience so we need your help on this please. Hope you can share with us or recommend to us your guide. You can drop me an email at rachellemaecong@gmail.com. Would greatly appreciate your help! Thanks!

Peanuts said...

Hi,

January is winter and the mountain could be frozen. Hence requiree ice climbing experiences and the park permits will be more stringent. For the guide i can help to ask the guide if he is comfortable leading english speaking climbers.

Wandering Gypsy said...

Hi Peanuts,

Thanks alot! Will wait for your update :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanuts, we're planning to hike at east and main peak on Feb next year. May I know if we need to obtain mountain permit and to have a guide? Kindly share me your hiking guidelines in my email jdaguas0429@gmail.com. Thank you.

Peanuts said...

Park permit is the that has the dependencies if you can get mountain permit. The park permit depends on tge lodge vacancy. And your applucation need to include the route and your experience. Xueshan can be climbed without a guide. You can visit the park website in english to learn more about the application and the forms to download to fill in. Only when u get the park.permit then you can apply the mountain permit from their police agency website.

Peanuts said...

Please see my reply below.

Eunice said...

Hi Peanuts,

I am looking for a guide to lead a group of 3 for Mount Syue on 28-30 Dec.

Please do let me know if you have any one to recommend.

Thank you very much!

I can be reached at eunicewaves8@gmail.com

Peanuts said...

Hi,

Will reply to you via tge email u mentioned.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanuts! Thanks so much for sharing the experience!

Can you possibly also share with me your guide contact?
My email is karenraearnoco@gmail.com

My friends and I are planning to go to Taiwan between Feb 27 to March 2, 2017 and is looking for someone who can help arrange the hike.

Thanks so much and hope to hear from you! :)

Cheers,
Karen

Meltina said...

Hi we are coming to Taiwan this coming 11-19 Mac and looking forward to scale the Xueshan Mountain.We had ask around but no one wanted to take us. There is only two of us in the group and as for experience we had climb the Mount Kinabalu, Day Climb Fansipan-Vietnam February last year, and we reach Everest Base Camp last september. We are both certified with high ropes skill.Can you arrange it for us?do email me at meltina86@yahoo.com

Peanuts said...

hi, will reply to you seperately. thx

Anonymous said...

Hi peanut can u provide me with your guide contact? I would like to hike in taiwan in nov. Thanks v much! Littleviper6@gmail.com

Adeline

Peanuts said...

hi adeline, i will email you directly and able to provide some advise on the climb.

Unknown said...

Hi Peanut,

Can u provide me with your guide contact as wel as the price for the xueshan climb for a group of 4 to 6 ppl? I would like to hike in taiwan xueshan in Jan 2018. Thanks v much! Appreciate it if i could get some advice from u for the climb as well.

I can be reached at mjkk89@hotmail.com

KK

Unknown said...

Hi Peanut,

Could you provide me with your guide contact and the pricing as well for the XueShan climb for a group of 4 to 6 ppl? I would like to make the hike in taiwan in January 2018. Appreciate it if you could give some advise for the Xueshan climb as well.

Thank you very much for the help and time provided. :)

With Regards,
KK

Peanuts said...

Hi,
Will link you up with the guide and provide some advice on the climb as well. will email you directly.

Peanuts said...

will reply to you direct.

Zhiwei said...

Is it possible to do Xueshan without a guide?

Peanuts said...

yes you can if the national issue you with the park permit which depends on bunk bed vacancies based on the hike route and accomodation location at the lodge. mountain permit to apply seperately. stay on the path and follow the signboards. shd be safe.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peanuts

I am lookin at climbing xueshan 16 nov to 22 nov. Mind if u can give the contacts of your guide? We are a group of 3 pple =)

My email add is jadepipelee@hotmail.com

Thank you. Rather last minute planning, but i hope it is in time! =/

Peanuts said...

Hi, will reply to you separately for your Xueshan Climb.

may escol said...

Hi Ms. Peanut,

Thank you for your wonderful blog!

My boyfriend and I were planning to Climb XueShan Mountain this January 2018, I was hoping if you could you provide me with your guide contact, rates and some advice for the Xueshan climb as well.

I can be reached at may.escol@gmail.com

Thank you very much in advance!

BR,

May

Peanuts said...

thanks for your question. i will reply to you directly.

test said...

Hi Peanut, could you provide me with the info as well? Thank you! =) bestof.me@hotmail.com

Doc Eric said...

Hi Ms. Peanut,

Planning to hike Xueshan next year before visa free expires, hoping you could provide me details for the said climb. Here is my email address, ericsonranchez@gmail.com

Thanks in advance =)

Peanuts said...

Hi Meici,

I will email separately to you. But would need you to be more explicit on what info you need.

Peanuts said...

Hello Doc Eric,

I will reply to you email separately

Anonymous said...

Hi peanut, may I know whether there is parking area for me to park my car there? And do you also happen the postal code for the area? Here is my email, kahming@live.com

Peanuts said...

There are ample space to park within the park. there is an entrance fee per head into the park. you can park nearer the trailhead which is the ranger station that you need to report to before the climb. dont have postal code. you can use google map look for 武陵农场。

jalan1dunie said...

hello peanuts
I'm looking for full pckge too for 3 persons
we are planning to hike sumwhre around April..hoping u could email to me the details..
sharila09@gmail.com
thank u so much in advance !

Peanuts said...

will reply to you separately.

Wayne said...

Hello peanuts!

My friends and I are looking to hike xueshan on first week of nov. Would it be possible to share your contacts with us?

Email will be wei_motor@hotmail.com

Appreciate your help!

Cheers,
Wayne

Peanuts said...

Hi, will reply to your email address separately.

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