Gongga Mountain

Overview
Mount Gongga, also known as Minya Konka, is the highest mountain in Sichuan province, China. It is also known to locals as "The King of Sichuan Mountains". Situated in the Daxue Shan mountain range, between Dadu River and Yalong River, part of the Hengduan mountainous region, Mount Gongga is the easternmost 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) peak in the world and the third highest peak outside the Himalaya/Karakoram, after Tirich Mir and Kongur Tagh.

The peak has large vertical relief over the deep nearby gorges.

Mountaineering history
According to an early remote measurement of the mountain, then called Bokunka, was performed by the expedition of Graf Béla Széchenyi 1877-80. They came to a height of 7600 meter. 45 years later the mountain, this time called Gang ka, was sketched by missionary J. H. Edgar, again from remote.

In 1930 the explorer Joseph Rock, making an attempt to measure its altitude, miscalculated its height as 30,250 ft (9,220 m) and cabled the National Geographic Society to announce Minya Konka as the highest mountain in the world. This measurement was viewed with suspicion from the start, and the Society's decision to check Rock's calculations before publication was well-founded. Following discussions with the Society, Rock reduced the claim to 7,803 m (25,600 ft) in his formal publication. In 1930 Swiss geographer Eduard Imhof measured 7,590 m (24,900 ft).

A second, better-equipped American team returned in 1932, and did an accurate survey of the peak and its environs. Their summit altitude measurement agreed with Imhof's figure of 7,590 m. Two members (Terris Moore, and Richard Burdsall) of this small expedition (only four climbing members, including Arthur B. Emmons and Jack T. Young) succeeded in climbing to the summit. They began on the west side of the mountain and climbed the Northwest Ridge.

This was a remarkable achievement at the time, considering the height of the mountain, its remoteness, and the small size of the group. In addition, this peak was the highest summit reached by Americans until 1958 (though Americans had by that time climbed to higher non-summit points). The book written by the expedition members, "Men Against The Clouds" remains a mountaineering classic.

The Himalayan Index lists five additional ascents of Gongga Shan, and seven unsuccessful attempts. A number of deaths have occurred on Gongga Shan, which earned a reputation as a difficult and dangerous mountain. In 1981, eight Japanese climbers died of a fall during an unsuccessful attempt. Until 1999, more climbers had died trying to climb the mountain than had reached the summit.

The SummitPost reports that until 2003 the mountain was successfully climbed only eight times. In total 22 climbers reached the summit. In total 16 climbers died.

On October 7th, 2017, Chinese media reported that Pavel Korinek, a Czech national, had reached the top of Mount Gongga, marking the first time in fifteen years that the mountain had been successfully climbed.

What to See
Hailuogou Valley
It is located on the eastern side of Gonggar Mountain in Luding County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, Sichuan Province. It is 319 km from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province and 105 km from Kangding, where administrative organs of the Garze Autonomous Prefecture are located. Glaciers in Hailuogou are typical modern marine glaciers, which are rarely found either in low-latitude places or at low altitude.

Mugecuo Scenic Resort
Endowed with numerous lakes, waterfalls, hot springs, dense woods, fragrant flowers, peculiar peaks, and grotesque rocks, Mugecuo Scenic Area presents picturesque scenery all the year round.

Information
Location: Gongga Mountain, Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Opening Time: All day; 08:00-18:00 (Hailuogou National Park); 08:00-17:00 (Mugecuo Scenic Resort); 08:00-17:00 (Tianwanhe Scenic Resort)
Ticket Price: Free
Best Time to visit: May to June
Time for visiting: 1 day
How to get there:
1) Take Hailuogou Tourism Bus (starting at 09:00) at the Xinnanmen (new south gate) Bus Station, which will take you to Mount Gongga directly.
2) Take Chengdu-Kangding Bus Line (starting at 09:00, 11:00, and 13:00) at Chadianzi Bus Station to Kangding, from which there are special tourism buses to Gongga Mountain directly.