Mount Kinabalu Summit Trail

The climb up the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, from Timpohon Gate through cloud forest to the bare granite of the summit plateau. It is done over two days: up to the huts at Laban Rata on the first, then out at two in the morning to reach Low's Peak for sunrise. [Route details] Start: Timpohon Gate (1,820 m) · End: Low's Peak 8.05 km one way · climb 2,196 m [Along the way] - Laban Rata, the overnight huts, at 5.5 km - Above the huts the forest stops and the route runs on open rock, with fixed ropes [About the summit height] - Low's Peak is surveyed at 4,095 m. The terrain model reads 3,950 m at that exact point and 4,014 m at the highest point along this line — the summit is a granite spire narrower than the model's grid, so it gets averaged away. The rest of the climb measures true. [Good to know] - A licensed guide and a permit are compulsory, and hut beds are booked out months ahead. - The Mesilau approach is mapped too but has been closed since the 2015 earthquake. - Elevation is sampled from a terrain model, not recorded on the ground.