Meili Snow Mountains

Meili Snow Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Kawagebo
Elevation	6,740 m (22,110 ft)
Coordinates	28°26′14″N 98°41′04″E / 28.43722°N 98.68444°E / 28.43722; 98.68444Coordinates: 28°26′14″N 98°41′04″E / 28.43722°N 98.68444°E / 28.43722; 98.68444
Dimensions
Length	200 km (120 mi) North-south
Width	30 km (19 mi) East-west
Area	6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi)
Naming
Native name	梅里雪山  (Chinese)
Geography
Meili Snow Mountains
Country	China
State	Yunnan
Rivers	Salween and Mekong
Settlement	Deqen is the closest settlement of considerable size
Parent range	Hengduan Mountain

Meili Xue Shan (Chinese:梅里雪山, translation: "Mainri snowy range") or Mainri Snow Mountains (Tibetan: སྨན་རི།) is a mountain range in the Chinese province of Yunnan.^[1] It lies close to the northwestern boundary of the province and is bounded by the Salween River on the west and the Mekong on the east.^[2] The Meili are subrange of the larger , themselves a constituent range of the Hengduan group.

The crest of the range rises to over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level, making for impressive prominence over the river valleys to the east and west, which are between 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and 1,900 metres (6,200 ft) in elevation. The highest peak is Kawagebo, which rises to 6,740 metres (22,110 ft). Kawagebo is considered sacred for Tibetan Buddhists. Other significant peaks include Mianzimu, and . Because of restrictions and dangerous conditions, none of the major peaks in the range have ever been summited.

Expeditions[]

Meili Xue Shan has received significant attention from climbers due to attempts by Japan and the United States. The first attempt to climb the highest peak, Kawagebo (6740 meters), was the Japan's in 1987, followed by the Academic Alpine Club of Kyoto University (AACK). In late 1990, AACK and a joint Chinese expedition attempted the summit from the east side. In January 1991, the climbers were hit by an avalanche during the night. The camp disappeared and all 17 climbers were killed.^[3]

From November to December 1996, AACK again challenged the mountain to the summit, but remained unsuccessful. Meanwhile, an American mountaineering team led by Nicholas Clinch climbed in the range four times in 1988, '89, '92 and '93. However, all the peaks, including Mianzimu (6,054m), still remain unclimbed.^[3]

Avalanche accident[]

On January 4, 1991, six Chinese and eleven Japanese mountaineers lost their lives to an avalanche, one of the worst climbing accidents in China.^[4] The local people interpreted this accident as a sign of the Warrior God’s anger. Since then, a law has been passed to prevent any further attempts.^[5]

References[]