TACKLING MOUNT KINABALU

I'm certainly not an expert in climbing. My idea of a hike is walking up the escalators to my mid-levels apartment in HK after midnight when they've stopped working…so basically amateur-hour when it comes to altitude and taking on a summit.

So, for those of you who are similarly challenged, Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia is the perfect starting point. It's ideal for an active long weekend away as you can arrive on Friday night and stay overnight in Kinabalu downtown, then start the climb early the following morning. Then, overnight Saturday at the rest house, get up early to conquer the summit before breakfast then make your way back down the mountain and be driven straight to the airport. Apologies to the person sat next to you on the flight home after 72 hours of trekking and no shower!

My top tips:

1) Go in dry season (ie. Feb-April) otherwise you may not be permitted up the summit as the slopes are too dangerous in the wet. Plus once you get to the top, there will be limited visibility in the rain and fog. We did it in sideways rain and were almost not allowed to the summit. Some parts of the trek felt like we were literally rock-climbing up waterfalls fully clothed. Furthermore, it was too cold and wet to wait at the summit to watch the sunrise which was a shame. So, seasonality is key to the experience!

2) Bring plenty of cash for drinks and snacks as there's no ATM up at the lodge.

After a day's trekking a hot chocolate is like a much needed hug from the inside, so you'll want a few!

3) Buy or hire a walking pole at the start of the trek. It'll save your knees on the way back down.

4) Don't take your walking pole up to the summit part, its too slippery to use.

5) You can never have enough pairs of dry warm socks.

6) Warm waterproof gloves for the summit is essential for handling the ropes.

7) You reach 4095 metres or 13,435 feet above sea level, so there's no harm in taking some aspirin or altitude sickness pills with you just incase, especially if you're doing the 2 day/1 night trek, to help your body adjust.

We had an extra day before we started the climb so we visited the Poring Hot Springs, which, to be honest, we could've missed. Aside from the pungent sulfur smell, it's not exactly that pleasant or worth going out of the way for. Naively we rocked up in bikini's with the expectation similar to that of a Japanese onsen. Instead there were loads of local children and families splashing about in small basin's  fully clothed, jeans, t-shirts and all.

Our trek in pictures...

Off we go, just as it's starts pouring down!

We made it to the Rest house lodge :) 

After a few hot chocolates and some food, we were in bed by 5pm!

(yes, I brought my own pillowcase haha getting too old for dormshare!)

Up early to conquer the summit before breakfast!

Climbing any size mountain and reaching the summit definitely brings a sense of achievement. Especially so, if you get to share this experience with others, as it gives you that 'team' feeling when you support each other through the hairy bits. 

So for those non-climbers with knobby knees and an average level of fitness like mine, Mount Kinabulu really is a solid starting climb and a great way to spend a long weekend!