GUNUNG · People's Republic of China

Amne Machin

Maqên Gangri / 玛卿岗日 (Mǎqìng Gāngrì) / Amnye Machen

Information

Elevation: 6.282 m
Country: People's Republic of China (CN)
Location / Range: Anyêmaqên Range (Amne Machin Mountains), Eastern Kunlun — Maqên County, Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China
Mountain type: Non-volcanic granite glacial peak — the highest peak of the Anyêmaqên Range, eastern Kunlun; one of Tibet's principal sacred mountains
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 34.7983, 99.4625
Difficulty: Climbing: technical (ice and snow, 6,000 m or higher, requires a permit and a CMA guide); the kora trek of about 105–140 km around the massif (7–8 days) is accessible to trained hikers with good acclimatization
Best Season: August–September (late summer) for the kora and the climb; avoid mid-June–July because of the heavy monsoon
Permits & Rules: Climbing requires a permit from the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) and a certified guide; the kora trek generally needs no special permit — reached via Xining (1-hour flight to Golog Maqin Airport)
Hazards: Altitude sickness (the kora area is ~3,800–4,600 m, the summit 6,282 m); very cold temperatures at night even in summer; heavy rain and muddy roads in the monsoon season; remote terrain with limited access; extreme UV exposure at altitude

Description

Amne Machin (6,282 m), known in Tibetan as Maqên Gangri or Amnye Machen (Chinese: 玛卿岗日), is the highest peak of the Anyêmaqên Range — part of the eastern Kunlun Mountains — in Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is one of the four principal sacred mountains of Tibet, the abode of the deity Machen Pomra (Grandfather Pomra), protector of the Amdo region and guardian of the headwaters of the Yellow River (Huang He), which rise near the mountain's base. Before 1950, up to 10,000 Golok people performed the annual kora circumambulation of the massif. The mountain was once mistakenly believed to rival or surpass Everest based on faulty 1930s survey data — an error corrected only in the early 1980s. The first verified ascent was made on 22 May 1981 by a Japanese team (Giichiro Watanabe, Yoshio Yamamoto, Katsumi Miyake), followed weeks later by an American team including Galen Rowell. The kora circuit, roughly 105–140 km around the massif, takes seven to eight days through alpine meadows and glacial valleys — a combination of spiritual pilgrimage and wilderness trekking in Qinghai that attracts growing interest from international climbers and Buddhist pilgrims alike.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Rute Punggung Timur Laut — Alpine Style (Galen Rowell, 1981)

Sangat teknis (punggung es, alpine style)

Ekspedisi ±2–3 minggu termasuk aklimatisasi

The northeast ridge was chosen by American climber-photographer Galen Rowell with Harold Knutsen and Kim Schmitz for their alpine-style ascent in June 1981, weeks after the Japanese first ascent. They approached via the northeast snow-ice ridge without extensive fixed ropes, requiring strong glacier navigation and technical climbing skills. Considered the more 'pure' alpine line, though more demanding.

Source

Rute Selatan — Jalur Ekspedisi Jepang (1981)

Teknis (6.000-an, glasier dan es campuran)

Ekspedisi ±2–3 minggu termasuk aklimatisasi

The south route was used for the first official ascent of Amne Machin by the Japanese expedition led by Giichiro Watanabe in May 1981. The team approached the summit from the south via glacier, fixing ropes on steep ice faces. This route requires an official permit from the Qinghai Mountaineering Association (QMGA) and a licensed local operator. Primary hazards are avalanches and crevasses; the best window is May–June before the monsoon.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Amne Machin (6,282 m), the highest peak of the Amne Machin Range in Qinghai, also known as Amnye Machen — a sacred Tibetan Buddhist mountain believed to be the abode of the guardian deity Machen Pomra. Before its 1981 first ascent, it was once speculated to exceed Everest's height. The documentaries and expedition accounts below document real experiences at this sacred peak.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.