I blogged about climbing Snow Mountain during the winter earlier in the year so I won’t write many details of the hike. Last time we went, the mountain was covered in deep snow and despite our best efforts we didn’t get to the top, just shy by 300m. This time we got a permit at the last minute to be in the 369 hut for Friday night which meant that we had to drive to Wuling Farm after work, hike up to 369 at night, sleep for a few hours (earplugs recommended) then get up, hit the peak and come down on Saturday. We got lucky with the weather. It was cool and dry and we made it up and down ok but I would suggest to anyone wanting to do this hike to add an extra day/night.
The view from the peak looking towards Hehuanshan
Zhongyangshan in the background
- Walking up the zig-zags on our way to the Black Forest
Entering the black forest, which was very different to the last time. A lot easier for one!
A glimpse of the Holy Ridge
The Holy Ridge covered in snow
The forest floor was very lush
It can be easy to get lost in the Black Forest when it's covered in snow or if you're hiking it at night
Small cliff face with water running down it
2m long icicles were hanging down in the wintertime
The cirque, last bit before the peak
The snow got as deep as 3ft
This was as far as we got last time.
We were only 300m from the peak when we had to turn back
This time we got there
Clouds rolling in. We managed to get from the peak to the traihead just before the rain came.
For details about permits and everything else have a look at my last Snow Mountain post. Also Barking Deer do guided trips here too.
Quite a difference between the summer and winter photos!
Nice shots and plenty of detail. Was this hike done in summer? What is the highest altitude?
Thanks! The snow shots are from winter and the others are from the summer. The peak is 3886m high.
Congrats on bagging that peak in double quick time. It’s nice to escape the heat of the plains at this time of year!
If you can do Snow Mtn in half a weekend, you can probably do Chilai Shan peak in a weekend too.
Thanks! Now, if I could just get a permit for Cilai….
Congratulations on making it to the top this time!
Thanks! It’s great it have that one ticked off!
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Just added this onto the blog…you might want to give it a try
I did the same climb in March with native mates. We started the final ascent before daybreak so the snow and ice was yet to turn to slush.
The cirque looks amazing with a white blanket, eh? Your pics make it look good in green too.
My pics here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregstephan/sets/72157623672153248/
wow, amazing photos! i like how you contrasted the two seasons!
Hello Stu!
Because of these awesome pictures, I’m looking to climb Snow Mountain mid-October. Since I’ll be in Taiwan alone, I’ll need an outfitter willing to guide a single climber up Snow Mountain. Do you know of any? I emailed Barking Deer a few weeks ago but haven’t received a reply. I guess Richard doesn’t guide single hikers.
hi stu,
thanks for providing such a great hiking blog! just read through your posts on snow mountain – winter and summer. some of the photos from the winter trip looked a tad sketchy. do you have any idea what it’s usually like up there mid-november?
thanks!
ginny
It’s difficult to say, mid November is quite early and I wouldn’t expect snow like we encountered but you never know. Walking up to the cirque through the snow was fine and it was only when we started to climb to the very top that it got quite hairy.
hi stu,
getting ready to head over to taiwan and was wondering if you knew where white gas/camping gas is typically sold over there – camping gear stores? hardware stores? i’ve got an msr whisperlite and the msr website claims that white gas is sold in taiwan. tried to do some research online but didn’t have any luck. thanks!
Hi
Not sure what white gas is! The ordinary camping gas that comes in cylindrical bottles is very easy to find here. Any camping store will have it and some supermarkets have it too.
Stu
stu,
can’t figure out how to respond to your most recent response. no worries – in the US, we call it white gas or coleman gas. our msr stove connects to an empty cylinder that we have to fill with liquid gas that we buy. so it’s not one of those cannisters that you puncture with your stove. we’ll figure it out when we get there. worse comes to worse, we ditch the stove and eat candy bars
sounds like you had some cold weather on your most recent backpacking trip out of wuling farm. seems like the huts should be warmer with all of the body heat, but no wood or coal burning stoves for heat like in new zealand!
I see. In that case I’ve never seen that kind of gas here! For Snow Mountain there isn’t any camping so you’ll be in the cabin for definite – earplugs are recommended!
nice pixs and blog man
btw i was planning to hike xueshan towards the end of december; do you know if they have those group climbs during this time and what the chances are of getting to the summit? lol i thought it was going to be nice and dry until i saw your pictures, i’m guessing it was in febuary?
Cheers! There are groups climbing Xueshan every weekend so i’m sure you’ll be able to find one. Google 登山會 and that’ll give you a list of groups.
Yeah we climbed in February. It would be difficult to say what your chances of getting to the top are, really depends on the conditions on the day. There’s no difficult climbing to do but if the weather doesn’t cooperate it can still be a hard climb. Be prepared for the cold, will definitely be below zero at night in December.
Hi Stu, your blog is a great resource, kudos to you for posting such detailed accounts and marvelous photos! I’d like to do a through-hike from dabajianshan to xueshan in March. Is there anyone around checking the permits? I’ve climbed and cycled several times in regions where a permit is required,but never bothered to apply. As there’s usually noone around to check, I never had a problem. But it seems both dabajianshan and xueshan are very popular climbs, so I’m wondering if there might be park rangers or other officials around. I usually set out on my own, and I’m not really keen on joining an organized tour.
Best regards, Carsten
Hi Carsten,
There’s someone at the beginning of the trail at Daba and there’s often people at the cabins throughout the route checking on permits. You can apply for a permit online, https://apply.spnp.gov.tw/ or just send them an email. Daba and Xueshan are both very popular, but the bits in between aren’t and so you’d be there quite possibly on your own for a few days. Also March can be bad for snow and ice and that’s something you’d need to be prepared for.
Stu
Hi Stu, thanks for your help. I guess I’ll apply for a permit then
. In November I cycled the Neng Gao trail near Wushe without a permit and met several hikers who hadn’t bothered to apply either. And I’ll be prepared for snow. I once got snowed under in my tent at the shelter below the peak of Mt. Kuhanuohsin. It was a none too pleasant experience that left a lasting impression 
Cheers, Carsten
Getting snowed under can’t have been fun! For Nenggao there’s just a mountain entry permit and you can apply on the spot at the police station and so often people don’t bother. But Daba and Xueshan are in the Sheipa National Park so you’ll need to get a park entry permit for definite.
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Good job, Yanks. The Calgary local chapter KMT is proud. Say, there’s no REI or EMS in Formosa, yeah? Where do you get your climbing gear?
No there isn’t. Metroasis and a place called Tingsanyeou are good for gear. They’re on Zhongshan Road near the main station. Lots of other places there too.
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