After the first traditional climbing exchange conference in 2012 and a year of reflection, domestic climbing enthusiasts have developed a deeper and more rational understanding of traditional climbing. More bystanders have become learners, beginning to explore and try out traditional climbing. The Liming Scenic Area of Laojun Mountain features extensive Danxia red sandstone, making it still the most suitable and currently the most concentrated area for traditional climbing routes in China. Compared to the previous edition, this year’s conference offered an increased number of traditional routes, with a rich variety of routes suitable for traditional climbers of all levels. Athletes from The North Face ? / Black Diamond ? have added these newly developed routes to the climbing guidebook, which was released alongside the 2013 Laojun Mountain Traditional Climbing Exchange Conference.
The core theme of this year’s event remained “Participate, Experience, Exchange, Improve.” During the event, international mentors including Yuji, J.P, Brittany, Michael, Jonathan, Nicholas, and Jennifer, along with top domestic traditional climbers such as Kang Hua, Qiu Hongshu, Gu Qizhi, and Ding Xianghua, formed a teaching team. Participants were divided into six groups based on beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, where they could choose their own learning content and receive instruction and demonstration guidance. Practice route difficulties ranged from 5.7 to 5.11. International mentors led the sessions while domestic traditional climbing experts served as interpreters and assistants, combining theoretical learning with on-route practice.
Due to the lack of guidance and exchange opportunities with seasoned climbers being one of the limiting factors for the development of traditional climbing in China, the exchange platform jointly established by The North Face ? / Black Diamond ? for both Chinese and international traditional climbing enthusiasts helped fill this gap. Aspiring traditional climbers at this event fully enjoyed the fun of traditional climbing and experienced significant improvement.