2017Peking University Mountaineering Team Concludes Tuanjie Peak Expedition
Tuanjie Peak is the highest point along the watershed divide between the upper valley of the Shule River and the Hala Lake basin, two inland drainage systems. It is located on the northern side of Hala Lake in Tianjun County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, at an elevation of 5,827 meters (or 5,808 meters). Also known as Shule Mengke or Gangzêwujie, Tuanjie Peak is the highest peak in the Qilian Mountain Range and also the highest peak on the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
Of the recorded climbing routes on Tuanjie Peak, three are on the southern side and one is on the northern side. Since the student expedition took place during the summer months of July and August—peak rainy season for the grasslands—the area around Hala Lake was deemed inaccessible due to potential marshes, leading to the selection of the northern route.
The mountaineering team established Base Camp at an altitude of 4,295 meters on July 10, after which they attempted route exploration from both the eastern and western sides of Tuanjie Peak. On July 12, they set up the Advance Base Camp (ABC) on the eastern ridge and continued reconnaissance toward C1, but abandoned the eastern route due to high avalanche risk, steep cornices, and long traversing sections. After a rest period, they resumed exploration from the western side on July 13, which proved successful, ultimately confirming the west ridge route. On July 17, eight members of Team A summited the northwest subpeak (5,640 m) and conducted training in rope teams and route fixing, while Team B departed Base Camp that day to transport supplies to C1. On July 19, eight members of Team A attempted the summit of Tuanjie Peak’s main peak from C1 at 5,156 meters, while Team B attempted the northwest subpeak from C1. However, Team A aborted their summit push just 100 meters from the top due to heavy fog, and subsequently descended to Base Camp together with Team B, who had completed the northwest subpeak summit. They prepared for a third phase to continue the summit attempt.
Figure 3 Hala Lake (View from the Northwest Subpeak Summit)