Climbing Kinabalu via ferrata

Guide and I at the "via ferrata" route down



Dad and I taking a rest on the way up the summit


Prep Time: 1 month
Time Off Work: 2 days
When To Go: Year round

Mt Kinabalu is one of the most accessible mountains in South East Asia and is respectably high at 4095m. It does not require any technical skill to climb up and offers a spectacular view up around the summit. However because of the accessibility, it does mean that the lodging up on the mountain is fully booked months in advance. Fortunately, most local tour operators manage to get a place if you go through them. Unfortunately, this means you'll have to pay more for the climb than if you go about trying to book it on your own. Also they have increased the price so dramatically that I am telling myself this is the last time I am going to stay up on the mountain lodges unless there is a super reason. However, it does offer the world's highest "via ferrata" route and the only one I know of in the SEA region.


Hiking up Mount Kinabalu was tiring this time round. Mainly because I have a full blown cold (cold sores + blocked nose / running nose). And going down 'via ferrata' required me to use my arms and shoulders which I do not usually train. Despite of all these minor problems, it will still be a very memorable time for myself because I got to spend some good time with my dad. The weather on the 2 days that we were there was perfect. It did rain a little but only when we were in the hut. Dad managed to climb it without any major problems. He knew he would have no problems with the normal route as he is in good shape but kept complaining about how scary 'via ferrata' would be for him but I kept encouraging him to give it a try. You never know till you are out there.

Another personal reason for going up the mountain was to have a feel for how difficult it would be to run up and down the mountain in the 4:30 hours. 4:30 hours is the cutoff time given for the climbathon that I have signed up for this August. Basically after the assessment, it would be nigh impossible in my current condition. Hiking up to the mountain lodges at the 6km mark took me nearly 3 hours and it was a steady walking pace with little rest. This means that in the next 4 months, I somehow have to whip myself into shape for this grueling task. Hmmm, I usually do not whip myself that hard so we will see how it goes when August comes. It will be a good challenge but the time has somehow run very short.

Flu to Kinabalu

Well, I have a cold and it sucks because tomorrow I am going on a long hiking trip at Mount Kinabalu again. I took 2 days off and did the preparation work for accommodation and all. So it will be a bummer having to walk with a dripping nose. Anyway, I have not let a cold stop me from going anywhere before so I don't think I will let it stop me from traveling this time.

I will be going on a route I have not been before this time round. Supposedly Asia's first "via ferrata". "Via Ferrata" is a mountain road equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges and so making it accessible to walkers and climbers (from Wiki). Previously it seemed that most of these routes were only available in Europe and I was stoked to see one in Malaysia. I somehow manage to convince my dad to come along as he has wanted to go to Kinabalu for some time so hopefully he will enjoy it and also we can get some good father and son bonding time. I'll give you some update after the trip. Now it is packing time and in 5 hours I am out of the house.

Road Rash Treatment

After a lot of trial and error and spending around $80 on road rash treatment, I feel I have a bit of say on the latest road rash treatment available.

Before I continue, I need to give a little definition of road rash. Road rash is a rash that appears when you press your skin hard on the road and then drag it along the road. A more common term would be skin abrasions. This happened to me as I was trying to see how fast I could go on my inline skates. After much effort, the final conclusion was not very fast, slower than sprinting. However to get to this conclusion, I had to eat a little pavement. I had to eat the road as I got out of control on the skates and ended up sprawling on the ground. Fortunately, I had my guards and helmet on but I still had some abrasions on my knees, hands and face.

Anyway after reading up on the internet, the current wisdom in treating road rash is to keep the wound moist. This goes against things that I was taught when I was a kid - to keep the wound dry. Many friends, some medically trained are still giving me advice on keeping the wound dry. As there were multiple spots for me to try, I kept the lighter wounds dry and the more serious wounds moist just to see if latest wisdom held up. It has been about 5 days now and I think I agree with the current wisdom. For abrasions, keep the wound moist with a moist wound dressing like Duoderm extra thin or Tegaderm. Even if the healing doesn't accelerate, moist wound dressing are so much easier to manage. Since the wounds are moist, movement does not hurt it as much. Moreover, as most moist dressings are waterproof and can be left on for days, I can take quick showers without having to clean my wounds or redress the wounds. Supposedly, moist wounds heal faster but I cannot compare since I dressed all the heavier wounds in moist dressings.

Summary of treatment after road rash:-
1. Take shower. Clean wounds with mild soap or sodium chloride 0.9%. Avoid harsh cleaners like hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol (hurts like hell) as they might damage the tissue.
2. Let surrounding area dry and cover the wound with moist dressing. Over in Singapore, Tegaderm, Duoderm extra thin and Opsite is readily available at bigger pharmacies. Just stick the film/dressing on top of the wound. Dressing removal usually does not hurt except for the occasional skin hair.
3. Keep surrounding area clean. Dressings should be changed every 2-3 days or whenever they start to peel off.

Cons: The dressing can cost quite a bit. Duoderm is expensive at $2 per piece. Tegaderm is relatively cheaper at $.50 per piece.