The Mountain

Yangmolong, also known as Jangmulang by local Tibetans, is a 6,060 meter (19,877 feet) peak located in the Sichuan Province of southwest China. The mountain is located west of Litang and approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the Tibetan border town of Batang in the Shaluli Shan Range, an area also known as the Kham region.

The Yangmolong Massif consists of three immediate peaks that stand in a line from east to west. The most westerly of these peaks is Dangchezhengla and it stands at 5,833 meters. The central peak, called Markara by local’s, stands at 6,033 meters, and Yangmolong located at the eastern end of the massif is 6,060 meters. A fourth peak that is unnamed stands at 5,850 meters is located northwest of Danchezhengla and is also considered a part of this massif.

The mountain has seen only two previous attempts to climb it. The first attempt came in 1991 by a Japanese team, and the second in 2007 by a British team. To date the mountain remains unclimbed.

The Region

The town of Batang lies in the Kham region of China, an area that encompasses sections of the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region, western Sichuan, southeast Qinghai, and northwest Yunnan.

The Kham region of eastern Tibet and western Sichuan is also known as the Lawless Regions of China. The Tibetans from Kham are known as the Khampas, and have a long history of ambushing or terrorizing travelers, stealing, and even killing foreigners and Tibetans. During the initial Chinese invasion of Tibet, the Khampas put up the most resistance against the Chinese and continue to provoke problems for Chinese migrants moving to western Sichuan—even today.

The Kham region and the town of Batang have a storied geopolitical history dating back to the 1500s. Tibetans and Chinese have fought over this land ever since.

In the early 1700s the land between the Yangzi and Mekong Rivers became a boundary of sorts where political control of all land west of this region, including the town of Batang, was administered under the government of Tibet in Lhasa. To the east, all land fell under China administration. Although The Kham region has always been a land in flux, in 1950 40,000 Chinese troops took control of the important Kham city of Chamdo, giving China complete control over the whole region to this day.

It’s a rugged country consisting of high grassland plateaus flanked by striking unclimbed peaks and steep gorges. The wild and seemingly desolate landscape stretches beyond the horizon, but on closer inspection, nomadic yak wool tents dot the distant hills and valleys, confirming that even here, life exists.

Recent Tragedy

The mountains of western Sichuan and eastern Tibet offer a wealth of unclimbed peaks and alpine objectives for hardened climbers. It’s not only the technical difficulties of climbing these peaks that make this region so rich with alpine challenges, it’s the climate and unpredictable weather that hammers expeditions into submission, resulting in a low success rate on first attempts.

The unpredictable weather has been the result of recent tragedy in the mountains of western Sichuan. In late 2006 Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler, two well respected and accomplished American climbers, died in an avalanche on Genyen Peak. And just this year, Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, and Wade Johnson, three highly talented and well-respected climbers lost their lives in an avalanche on Mt Edgar (East Gongga). It goes without saying that unpredictable weather in this region cannot be underestimated.








The Mountain Yangmolong, also known as Jangmulang by local Tibetans, is a 6,060 meter (19,877 feet) peak located in the Sichuan Province of southwest China. The mountain is located west of Litang and approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the Tibetan border town of Batang in the Shaluli Shan Range, an area also known as the Kham region. The Yangmolong Massif consists of three immediate peaks that stand in a line from east to west. The most westerly of these peaks is Dangchezhengla and it stands at 5,833 meters. The central peak, called Markara by local’s, stands at 6,033 meters, and Yangmolong located at the eastern end of the massif is 6,060 meters. A fourth peak that is unnamed stands at 5,850 meters is located northwest of Danchezhengla and is also considered a part of this massif. The mountain has seen only two previous attempts to climb it. The first attempt came in 1991 by a Japanese team, and the second in 2007 by a British team. To date the mountain remains unclimbed. The Region The town of Batang lies in the Kham region of China, an area that encompasses sections of the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region, western Sichuan, southeast Qinghai, and northwest Yunnan. The Kham region of eastern Tibet and western Sichuan is also known as the Lawless Regions of China. The Tibetans from Kham are known as the Khampas, and have a long history of ambushing or terrorizing travelers, stealing, and even killing foreigners and Tibetans. During the initial Chinese invasion of Tibet, the Khampas put up the most resistance against the Chinese and continue to provoke problems for Chinese migrants moving to western Sichuan—even today. The Kham region and the town of Batang have a storied geopolitical history dating back to the 1500s. Tibetans and Chinese have fought over this land ever since. In the early 1700s the land between the Yangzi and Mekong Rivers became a boundary of sorts where political control of all land west of this region, including the town of Batang, was administered under the government of Tibet in Lhasa. To the east, all land fell under China administration. Although The Kham region has always been a land in flux, in 1950 40,000 Chinese troops took control of the important Kham city of Chamdo, giving China complete control over the whole region to this day. It’s a rugged country consisting of high grassland plateaus flanked by striking unclimbed peaks and steep gorges. The wild and seemingly desolate landscape stretches beyond the horizon, but on closer inspection, nomadic yak wool tents dot the distant hills and valleys, confirming that even here, life exists. Recent Tragedy The mountains of western Sichuan and eastern Tibet offer a wealth of unclimbed peaks and alpine objectives for hardened climbers. It’s not only the technical difficulties of climbing these peaks that make this region so rich with alpine challenges, it’s the climate and unpredictable weather that hammers expeditions into submission, resulting in a low success rate on first attempts. The unpredictable weather has been the result of recent tragedy in the mountains of western Sichuan. In late 2006 Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler, two well respected and accomplished American climbers, died in an avalanche on Genyen Peak. And just this year, Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, and Wade Johnson, three highly talented and well-respected climbers lost their lives in an avalanche on Mt Edgar (East Gongga). It goes without saying that unpredictable weather in this region cannot be underestimated.