The Four Sisters Mountain (also known as Siguniang Shan) Scenic Area is situated in Xiaojin County of A’ba Prefecture in Sichuan Province of China. The area is reputed to be the “Queen of Mountains in Sichuan” and “The Oriental Alps” because of the beautiful mountain landscape and exquisite snow peaks scenery. The Four Sisters Mountain Scenic Area consists of Mt Siguniang, Mt Balang, and 3 main valleys – Haizi Gou, Changping Gou, Shuangqiao Gou.

Mt Siguniang stands between Haizi Gou and Changping Gou. Mt Siguniang encompasses four peaks: DaFeng (Big Peak or 1st peak / 5038m), ErFeng (2nd peak / 5276 m), SanFeng (3rd peak / 5355m) and Yaomei Feng (4th peak / 6250m).

Yaomei Feng (幺妹峰); literally: "peak of the youngest sister", also known as the "Queen of Sichuan's peaks" (蜀山皇后). is the second highest mountain in Sichuan Province. The first ascent of Yaomei Feng was in 1981 by a Japanese team via the east ridge. Very few people attempt to climb Yaomei Feng and even fewer have succeed. The first ascent of Yaomei Feng from the southwest ridge was in 2008 by Chad Kellogg and Dylan Johnson. Thereafter a few attempts were made by local Chinese mountaineers with only a handful of them successfully scaled to the top.

The other three lower peaks DaFeng, ErFeng and SanFeng are regular mountaineering destinations through all seasons. Mt Siguniang DaFeng (四姑娘山大峰 or 大姑娘山. Literally "peak of the oldest sister") and ErFeng (四姑娘山二峰 or 二姑娘山. Literally "peak of the second sister") are trekking peaks. ErFeng is more challenging and tougher than DaFeng with steeper rock formation nearer to the top. SanFeng (四姑娘山三峰 or 三姑娘山. Literally "peak of the third sister") has a fixed rope section near the peak and require rock scrambling for the summit section.

About The Climb

We combined both Dafeng and Sanfeng into a twin peaks itinerary. Dafeng serves as an acclimatization peak for Sanfeng.  The trek to Dafeng Base Camp (4200m), through Haizi Gou, is  a straight forward gradual ascent of around 6-8 hours. The next day, make a summit attempt. The summit route is on a rocky terrain and can be covered in ice and snow. After the summit (around 7-8 hours round trip), return to base camp for a meal, then descend through the same route on Haizi Gou to Rilong to rest and recover before heading to Sanfeng.

Sanfeng's access point is from the Lama Temple in Changping Gou. We take a short drive from Rilong to Changping Gou to start the trek to Sanfeng Base Camp (4300m). The trek to Sanfeng Base Camp, though straight forward, is much steeper than Dafeng's and Erfeng's approach trek. However, having climbed Dafeng and well acclimatized, the trek to the base camp should take only around 5-6 hours.  For the summit attempt, be prepared to rock scramble on most part of the summit route and cross narrow ridges. The last section before Sanfeng summit is on fixed rope which require some rope skills. Because of the facing, Sanfeng is notoriously known to have strong wind conditions. After the summit (around 9-10 hours round trip), return to base camp for a meal, then descend through the same route on Changping Gou and drive to Rilong.

Trekking Seasons

The climate in Mt Siguniang area can be drastically different in the high peaks and valleys. In the high peaks the climate is constantly alpine and even arctic all year round. In the valleys, the dry season and the rainy season are obvious. April to September is the wet season. October to March is the dry season.

From April to May the rain dump massive amount of snow in the mountains creating knee deep soft snow terrain  that is difficult to walk on near the peaks. From June to August, which is also summer, the intensity of the sun melts the snow as quickly as they are being dumped by the rain. The rainy season also means gloomy and cloudy sky that obstruct the otherwise beautiful scenery.

The best time to climb Mt Siguniang is in autumn and winter from September to January. Mid October when the leaves change colour to the autumn hue of red, brown, orange and yellow is the best time to visit.

Experience Required

You should have above 5000m peak climbing experience. Rilong is located at 3160m. You will be trekking from 3160m to above 5000m and covering 2x 5000m peaks in a short time. The average personal backpack load you will be carrying during the trek is around 5-6kg. Both Dafeng's and Sanfeng's summit trails are steep and rocky and can be covered in ice and snow. Sanfeng's summit trail is particularly challenging and treacherous. Rock scrambling is required and there are narrow ridge crossings. The last section before the summit is a fixed rope section. Because of its facing, Sanfeng often encounter strong wind.  You will also be sleeping at above 4000m at both Dafeng Base Camp and Sanfeng Base Camp.

Equipment and Gear

You will need thermal base layers, a fleece jacket and an outer shell jacket. When at the base camp, after sundown and during the summit trek, a down jacket will help keep you warm. A down sleeping bag is also needed and provided.

You will also need the following equipment for the summit attempt:

1. Climbing harness
2. Climbing helmet
3. Sewn slings
4. Locking karabiners
5. Ascender
6. Abseil device

Equipment are provided. You can also bring your own equipment if you wish

A packing list will be provided to all our participants. Please refer to our Resource Centre page to learn about the layering system and choose the right gear/equipment for your trek.