Mountain climbers stuck on Yandang Cliff
Groups of climbers on Yandang Mountain in eastern China faced a precarious situation earlier this week. They found themselves stuck partway up a cliff, clinging to a rope along a fixed climbing route for over an hour.
Images of the climbers hanging off the cliffside as they waited for others to progress along the via ferrata – metal rungs secured to the mountain – quickly went viral on Chinese social media.
“This is frightening! Someone like me afraid of heights might just wet myself up there!” wrote one Chinese online commenter. “I won’t even go even if I’m offered cash to do this,” another said.
However, all climbers were shown wearing helmets, harnesses, and safety gear.
Wenzhou Dingcheng Sports Development Co., Ltd, managing the via ferrata, admitted to underestimating the number of people interested in climbing the mountain.
“Due to our misjudgment of how many customers would come, the lack of effective traffic controls such as a ticket reservation system, and shortcomings in onsite management, customers were blocked and trapped on the climbing route,” the company said in a statement.
The company announced a temporary halt to ticket sales while it addressed the situation internally. It also plans to implement a traffic-control system for future visitors.
Yandang Mountain, located approximately 410 kilometers (255 miles) south of Shanghai in Zhejiang province, rises 1,150 meters (3,773 feet) high.
The incident occurred during China’s Labor Day holiday, contributing to the large number of tourists in the area.
Yandang Mountain is a popular destination for holidaymakers in China and was submitted for UNESCO World Heritage site designation in 2001, remaining on the tentative list.
