Four Girls (Siguniang, Yaoniangfeng)

Mountain/Rock

Four Girls (Siguniang, Yaoniangfeng)

Page Type: Mountain/Rock

Location: Sichuan Province, China, Asia

Lat/Lon: 31.10660°N / 102.90276°E

Elevation: 20505 ft / 6250 m

Page By: Kenzo Okawa

Created/Edited: Apr 6, 2003 / Oct 21, 2008

Object ID: 151557

Hits: 23624

Page Score: 93.63% - 110 Votes

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Table of Contents

The status of the new routes and attempts

The effects and repair work for the Sichuan Earthquake in Four Girls Mountains

Images

Overview

Other names of Four Girls Mountains are Siguniangshan, or Siguniang Mountains. These all have the same meaning.
It is said that the Four Girls Mountains are the goddess of the mountains in southwestern China ( The king is Minya Konka).
The highest peak in this area is Mount Fourth Girl (6250m), a knife edged rock peak.
Mount Fourth Girl has three peaks on the southern ridge. These are called Third Girl(5355m), Second Girl(5276m) and First Girl(5025m).

In July 1981, seven Japanese made first ascent via the southeast ridge.
Refer to "http://www.doshisha-sports.net/record/contents/28_1.html".

In July 1992, another seven Japanese made first ascent via the south face and west ridge.
Refer to "http://www.jac.or.jp/info/kiroku/1993/yonko-page.htm".
In October 1994, Charlie Fowler made ascent via the south face and the southeast ridge (In November 2006, he was killed in the avalanche at the west Sichuan).
Refer to "http://www.charliefowler.com/writing.html".

In April 2002, Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden made first ascent via the Northwest face.
Refer to "http://www.alpine-club.org.uk/news/".

In November 2004, two American and four Chinese made ascent via the south face and the southeast ridge.
Refer to "http://www.aaic.cn/home.htm", "http://www.adventure-video.com/siguniang/".

In end of September 2008, Chad Kellog and Dylan Johnson made first ascent via the Southwest Ridge.
Refer to "http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08f/newswire-siguniang-ascent ".

Even the easiest routes here are difficult climbs. In the past, few climbers attempted these peaks, one party or less every year. Recently, there has been a great increase in tourism. There has also been a corresponding increase in climbers� attempts on these peaks.
This area is in the eastern part on the Trans Himalayas which is called the treasury of the gene.
It is at the eastern end of the Tibetan cultural sphere, too.
A lot of flowers of alpine plants bloom in this steep and complicated landform of glacial origin.

In 12th May 2008, Four Girls Mountains hitted by big earthquake what is call the Sichuan Earthquake. And it effected seriously to many peoples who live in the mountain. Please refer to the following section for further details.

Four Girls Mountains include many beautiful peaks such as the following;

Note-1 ) Another name of the main peak of Four Girls Mountains
Generally, the local Tibetan peoples call the main peak and other three remarkable peaks of the southern side "Sukola"(phonetic notation is not strict) without distinguishing between them. This comes from the original name (refer to Note-2).
Recently, many Chinese mountaineers have visited, and call the main peak (Fourth Girl) Yaoniangfeng.
The general public Chinese refers to the Four Girls Mountains as Siguniangshan, Fourth Girl as Siguniang, Third Girl as Sanguniang, Second Girl as Erguniang, and First Girl as Daguniang.

Note-2 ) The origin of the name of Four Girls Mountains
The name of Four Girls Mountains comes from the original Tibetan name "sukolajiddha" (phonetic notation is not strict). It means the mountain god who protects this local area, where is called "rGyal-rong" or "rGyalmorong" or " the Queen Valley ". It is a generic name and not a proper noun. It does not have the meaning of the four girls or the four sisters.
"The Four Girls Mountains" is the name what the Chinese created and recorded by the following process in the old times.
a. Consider that this mountain group has four remarkable peaks. Chinese pronunciation of four is close to "su" in the Sichuan Province, and phonetic notation is "si".
b. It has beens guesed that the Chinese characters "sigu" look like the pronunciation of the Tibetan name"suko".
c. The Chinese phonetic notation "gu" is close to the pronunciation of "ko".
d. The Chinese phonetic notation of mothers-in-law is "gu", and a single woman (girl) is "gu-niang". The Chinese preferred girl to mothers-in-law.
In this area, the Tibetan and the Chinese are changing from the old times. As a result, most Tibetans have forgetten the original Tibetan name or its meaning, and Chinese name or its meaning is in use. At present, only a few Tibetans like a high-ranking priest, hand down this process and the meaning of "sukolagidda". The story is of the incarnation of four girls who were sisters, who saved a panda, starting the local legend what was made in the times after this origin.
Another new Chinese name of the highest peak (Fourth Girl) Yaoniangfeng, it means the peak of youngest girl.

Getting There

Four Girls is located near the town of Rilong in Xiaojin County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in the Sichuan Province. In the town of Rilong you can find many hotels.
Beware that may 1st - 7th, and october 1st - 7th are a holiday in China, so the hotels are very crowded, and they also change their rates.
Nearest major airport is in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. This is a 3-hour flight from Shanghai.
From Chengdu it's a 6-hour bus trip to Rilong.

Red Tape

You pay the Management Bureau an entry fee (about $8) at the entrance gate in the Nature Reserve.
There are three valleys in the Nature Reserve. At the entrance gate in each valley, you pay the entry fee and other (like a camping fee).
At present, any climber who reaches the summit pays the Sichuan Mountaineering Association a mountaineering fee.
Please inquire to the office at the entrance gate or the following for the details. The Sichuan Mountaineering Association "http://outdoors.www29.cn4e.com/sma/".
Sometimes, the rules changes. You should confirm them at the entrance gate or at the travel agency.

Camping

Before setting up a tent, go to the entrance gate where you'll have to pay a fee.

Mountain Conditions

Will research this soon. For now see the Nature Reserve website. Also see external links below.

http://www.sgns.gov.cn/scholaweb/conts.htm (Chinese)

External Links

Tibet-tours.com's Siguniang Shan Page
Queen Valley
Zhihua Wen's Siguniang Mountain photos
Climbing the lowest of the four girls.
Airtibet.net's Siguniang Shan mountainteering trip
PlanetMountain.com's Siguniang page ("Garden of Eden")
Climbing grades, logistics (in Italian)
The introduction of Four Girls Mountains
Here, you can see the part of the beautiful nature of Four Girls Mountains.
The Goddess on the Mountains in Southwestern China
Chengdu ODO OUTDOOR CLUB
A professional Mountaineering guide service
Cybercast of November 2004 climb
Dispatches from a successful ascent of Siguniang.
An introduction to the mountain

The status of the new routes and attempts

The status of the new routes and attempts on Mount Fourth Girl by Cosmin :
South:
1981 - Japanese team, SE ridge. FA of the mountain. Summit. Style - expedition siege.
1992 - Japanese team, SW ridge. Summit. Style - expedition siege
1997 Charlie Fowler, variation of the first Japanese route. Summit. Style: solo
2003 - Jon Otto, T Boelter, vcariation on the first Japanese route. Failed. Style - expedition siege
2004 - Jon Otto and a Chinese team, variation on the first Japanese route. Summit. Style - expedition siege
2006 - C. Andron, Waiwah Yip, SW face FA; no summit intended. Style: big wall
2006 - P Batoux and French team, attempt of new line on the S face. Failed. Style: alpine
2006 - Sun Bin (China) - Sept and Oct. attempts on SE face (Ch. Fowler route). Failed. Style: Alpine/Solo
Trip report here: http://emg.com.cn/mountain_girl4justdoit.asp
North:
1981 - J Tackle, J Donini, K Schmitz - attempt on the NW face. Failed. Style: big wall
2002 - M. Fowler, P. Ramsden - FA of the NW face. Summit. Style: alpine
2004 - Tom Chamberlain, Dave Evans, etc - attempt on the NW face. Failed. Style: alpine
2005 - Chad Kellogg, Joe Puryear and Stoney Richards - attempt on the NW face. Failed. Style: big wall
2006 - P Batoux and French team, FA of Siguniang N independent peak. Summit. Style: alpine
Posted Nov 22, 2006 3:25 am

The effects and repair work for the Sichuan Earthquake in Four Girls Mountains

I understand what this article has nothing to do with the mountain climbing directly,
but I think that it represent a part of the nature of Four Girls Mountains. Because a life of peoples who live in the mountain is a part of the nature of that mountain. And the earthquake effected seriously to these people. Then I posted in order to let Summit Poster knew this painful occurrence.
Around eighty thousand peoples died and enormous houses were damaged by this arthquake. Even now, so many people live in shelter. At Four Girls Mountains where around 60km west from the center of the earthquake, many peoples suffered heavy damage, too.This article inroduce the effects and repair work in Four Girls Mountains as follows.

May, 2008 : The effects of the Sichuan Earthquake.
By the Sichuan Earthquake what was occured around the 14:30, May 12th and the center of the earthquake was located at southern part of Wenchuan County, the route of Balangshan Pass became closed to automobile traffic. The authorities estimate that it will need for several months to restore the route. The route of Jiajinshan Pass and Danba are passable.

The main road at the Shuangqiaogou (Twin Bridge) Valley, the Changpinggou (Long Terrace) Valley and Haizigou (Lake) Valley are passable, but several roads on the branch valleys was buried by the rock collapse.

Many of stone-piled houses at the Rilong Town were destroyed or the wall collapsed by the earthquake. But the multistoried ferroconcrete buildings like a hotel were almost undamaged. Fortunately, no one was injured.

The electric power is under cut off at the Rilong except for the Changping Village, but some of the hotel has the private electric generator.

August, 2008 : The relief supplies to the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake.
Many volunteers in Japan and U.S.A presented 547 sheets of electric blankets to the Changping Village where suffered maximum damage at the Four Girls Mountains. They are the Japan-China friendship club 'The Great Distance' (include the Study Group of Trans-Himalayas), The Kagurazaka-Study Group of Architecture, Ms. Susan Malcher (a Summit Poster) and two others.
At the Four Girls Mountains, it becomes cold from now. Especially in winter morning, it is awfully cold to -15 degree. Because a lot of villagers are sleeping in the shelter, the electric blanket is very useful.

The set of stationery were presented to the childrens, too.

The summary report of the contribution to the Sichuan Earthquake victims in Four Girls Mountains
*** The contribution : total 45,141 RMB ***
1. Japan-China friendship club 'The Great Distance' (include the Study Group of Trans-Himalayas) :
remittance JPY500000*6.2293=31,146.50 RMB (Changed at 26th August)
Contribute to Changping Village
Note) The name of 'The Great Distance' comes from 'The Great Wall of China'.

2. Kagurazaka-Study Group of Architecture : Cash JPY173000*6.0979=10,549.37 RMB (Changed at 26th August)
Contribute to Changping Village 2,749.37 RMB and to Danba 7,800.00 RMB

3. Ms. Susan Malcher (a Summit Poster) and two others : remittanceUS$500*6.8892=3,444.60 RMB (Changed at 16th June)
Contribute to Changping Village

*** The Expend : Total 45,141 RMB ***
1. Changping Village : Total 36,841 RMB, It was distributed at 30th August.
The electric blanket for 277 families : 31,677 RMB
The set of stationery for 80 children : 2,136 RMB
Transportation cost : 2,800 RMB
Traffic expenses in Chengdu : 228 RMB

2. Danba : Total 7,800 RMB, It was distributed at 18th September.
Heavy dameged houses at Jiaju and adjoining villages : 5 houses*1500=7,500 RMB
Traffic expenses in Danba : 300 RMB

3. The reward for interpretation and arrange to an interpreter : 500 RMB

September, 2008 : The repair work for the Sichuan Earthquake.
1. Ttransportation
The full-scale restoration construction in the Yingxiu - Wolong section becomes next year. Therefore the Route of Balangshan Pass (it takes 7 hours by car) is still blocked. The Route of Jiajinshan Pass (10 hours) and the Route of Danba (12 hours) are passable. But, the road condition of the Jiajinshan Pass is unsettled.
The Route of Danba goes the long way. But, if you stay in Danba (2000 m above sea level) at night and adjust to altitude, you can ease the altitude sickness what is taken more or less in the Route of Balangshan Pass. Therefore, it is not worries that the Route of Balangshan Pass is blocked. The beautiful houses and the stone-piled tower of the Danba are world-wide fame, and worth seeing.
It takes 1 hour from the Rilong Town to the Balanshan Pass by car.
A foreigner is free to enter into Four Girls Mountains.

2. Power line and telephone
All of the power station were restored, and supplies the electric power. Also the telephone line is live.

3. Hotel facilities
It is possible to stay at many guest-houses. Most of the hotels are closing down because the tourist decreases sharply.

4. The broken houses
The government of Jiangxi Province was decided the 200 million RMB aid to the Xiaojin prefecture (an administrative district what is include Four Girls Mountains), and the restoration construction of the houses will begins from next year.
Some part of the houses had repaired on thier own.

Images



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