Deadliest Hike in the World: Mount Huashan, China
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Published 2014-06-19
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Hey guys we did the infamous Skywalk at Mt Hua, otherwise known as the "Most Dangerous Hike in the World". Now since we just did this, we'd like to share with you the most valuable information to know before you go.
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1. This particular hike is officially called the "Plankroad in the Sky" - remember this when you look for signage on the mountain.
2. You do not have to hike the 6 hours up the mountain to get to the Plankroad - there are actually two cable cars that can take you up in less than 30 minutes. The easiest route is to take the NEW - west cable car - and then hike the 30-40 minutes from the West Peak to the South Peak where the Plankroad is located. Then follow "Plankroad in the Sky" signage and you will arrive at the site in no time.
3. The Plankroad itself only takes 30 minutes or so to complete. It consists of a staircase down which is metal rods in rock (with large gaps at times), becomes stone cut outs on the cliffside, then comes the actual plank and lastly more stone cut outs leading to the small temple. When you are done you must turn around and go back exactly the way you came.
4. Know that the Plankroad is a TWO WAY trail and you willl be required to pass on the outside of others at times. If you are truly afraid of heights you may want to mentally prepare for this fact.
5. You do not need to bring or purchase a harness. You will rent one upon arrival at the Plankroad and it currently costs $5 USD.
6. Gloves are not really necessary for the Plankroad itself and in certain seasons you may actually feel uncomfortable with the heat.
Prices and additional information as of Summer 2014 are as follows:
1. Tickets for everything other than the actual harness itself can be purchased at the Mt. Huashan visitors center. To get onto the mountain you will need the following:
1.1 Entrance to the mountain is $30 USD ($15 USD with a valid student ID)
1.2 West Cable Car Fees - $6 USD each way for the bus and $22 USD each way for the cable car itself ($16 USD with a valid student ID)
1.3 North Cable Car Fees - $3 USD each way for the bus and $13 USD each way for the cabe car itself ($12 USD with a valid student ID)
2. If you choose to hike the mountain it will take anywhere from 4-6 hours and is extremely strenuous. We only recommend this for those in very good shape. It is also advisable to hike the mountain at night (really early in the morning) and catch the sunrise. The trail up is illuminated, so no worries there. You can also opt to spend the night on the mountain itself, as there are several lodging options available.
3. The cable cars down stop operating at 7pm, so be sure to time accordingly if you want to get down that way. You can chose to take one cable car up and the other down (or do a round trip on one), just buy a one way at the bottom and then get a return on the mountain when you are ready to head down.
4. The are food options all over the mountain - prices are high, but good to know that they are there. Bathrooms also exist at every major peak and sometimes in between, so it is pretty convenient
5. Plankroad in the Sky can have a backup of adventurers waiting to get on the dangerous hike, so there can be a wait. They only let a certain number of visitors on the path at a time (for safety reasons of course) and they also close it down at a certain time of day (around 5pm), so if you have your heart set on the trail, you may want to arrive on the earlier side. We also heard that weekends and holidays can get even busier, so plan accordingly!
6. If you want to make it to all the peaks on the mountain, plan for 4-6 hours depending on your speed. David and I decided to run from the West peak all the way to the North peak, which we were told is a 3 hour hike. We made it in 35 minutes, so it is potentially possible that you could do all the peaks in less time, but I wouldn't necessarily advise it considering the dangerous nature of many parts of the trail.
7. Getting there and away - you can choose to visit the mountain as a day trip from Xi'an (by bus approximately 2 hours each way) or stay in the town of Huashan (accessible by train or bus from Xi'an).
All Comments (21)
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Never unhook both hooks at same time......Never ever!!!!
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As an outdoor professional and a recreational adventurer, watching both safeties be unclipped at the same time throughout this video actually makes me livid. One of two things happened here: either those running the plank walk are not explaining the safety system well to people or (more likely) the person behind the camera chose to ignore it and therefore put not only his life in danger but potentially risked the lives of others because guess what: rescue efforts are deadly too and I doubt a body recovery in a place like that is super easy. This is especially irresponsible as a travel blog with a huge following. You should be showing SAFE, proper practices to you literal hundreds of thousands of viewers.
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YOU'RE A DBAG. Glad to see people have noticed the double unhooking.
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I like how he finds the leaning back bit scary when he was staring into the face of Death every time he unhooked both at the same time
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There's a cemetery nearby called "Unhooked Both".
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When I walked this in 2012 a Chinese woman next to me took both carabiners off at once. I quickly grabbed them and slammed them back on the cable, fearing that she could fall off. I then showed her the correct method. She seemed totally unaware of how dangerous it was to take both off at once. I was also surprised to see it being done in this video. Crazy
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unclipping both safety lines at the same time .. darwin award is waiting ..
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The actual course is not whats scary is this guy casually takes off BOTH HOOKS that gives me anxiety
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mate I think unhooking both at the same time is quicker, but falling off the mountain is an even quicker way down. :/
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Thanks for showing us what NOT to do in term of security !
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A lot of respect for those people who put those ropes and safety mechanism up there in the first place!!
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This dude is one of those reckless types who always live as dangerously as possible. He will most likely continue to put himself in unnecessary dangers his entire life, and end up dying or getting seriously injured at some point purely because of that, and if someone tries to warn him about that then he will just be like "lol it's no problem!", and continue doing it. I know how people like him work; the warnings don't sink in to them.
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Oh my goodness. I had a mini heart-attack every time he unhooked both at once.
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Well, I was going to comment on the videographer's absolutely mind-numbing stupidity in unhooking both lines at the same time. However it looks like over 1000 commenters beat me to it. Please, dude, get some sense next time.
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30 years ago there used to be no security rail in this path. People have to walk through it with bare foot and hand. Nowadays it is safer now. Imagine those people who built this path 700 years ago
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At the thought of returning that way, the temple would be my new home.
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The reason you have two safety lines attached to you is so you can move one carabiner at a time and that way you are always protected. This guy moves both carabiners at the same time. So when he is un-clipped he has no protection and could potentially fall to his death if he slipped. You have to stay hooked on, that is the purpose of the harness and safety lines. I guess he probably thinks he is being cool but he is playing with death. Overconfidence and showing off are not desirable characteristics in any dangerous situation.
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This guy completely missed the point of having two locks. You always keep one locked so it is a double safety.
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Nice view. But for someone who's scared of heights, this was a difficult video to watch, definitely the moments you unhooked both safeties at the same time.
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One responsibility in posting travel blogs is teaching proper safety measures.
