Meili Snow Mountain, also called "Prince Snow Mountain," is located about 10 kilometers west of Deqing City in Diqing prefecture at the confluence of the Jinsha, Lancang and Nu rivers.

Towering like a pyramid, Meili Snow Mountain is regarded as a holy mountain by local Tibetans. Although there are numerous snow-covered mountains between Yunnan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region -- including Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, and Qiaogeli Peak, the second highest in the world -- Meili Snow Mountain is the highest holy Tibetan mountain: one shrouded in mist, cloud and mystery. Each autumn, countless Tibetans living near and far make pilgrimages to the legendary peak.

Meili Snow Mountain has long been famous for its main peak, Kagebo Peak, which, at an elevation of 6,740 meters above sea level, is the tallest in Yunnan. Surrounded by 13 lesser peaks that carry an enchanting tale, Kagebo Peak is extolled as the "most beautiful mountain in the world."

Despite the fact that humans have already conquered Mount Everest, the Kagebo Peak, protected by perpendicular cliffs and a treacherous climate, is yet to be visited by a human. Since 1902, mountaineers from China, Great Britain, the United States and Japan all have failed to conquer the summit. In 1991, 17 mountaineers from China and Japan lost their lives trying to reach the peak -- a tragedy that marked the greatest sacrifice in the history of mountain climbing in China.

So why is Kagebo Peak so inaccessible? Besides its perpendicular cliffs and comparatively large relative altitude, Zhang Qingsong, a researcher from the Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, tackles the question from a geographical perspective.

According to Zhang, the glaciers on Meili Snow Mountain, which are influenced by air currents from the Indian Ocean, are fast-moving, fickle, monsoon maritime glaciers. Meili Snow Mountain is located in the Range of the Hengduan Mountains where strong updrafts meet with continental cold air masses, forming a thick fog and heavy snow; currents from the Indian Ocean also bring much precipitation to Meili Snow Mountain annually. Therefore, despite the fact that many glaciers melt away in the summer, the winter snowfalls always return with a vengeance.

When it gets warmer, glaciers at low altitudes thaw quickly, and, without firm support, glaciers at high altitudes begin to slip. When not causing avalanches, glaciers at higher altitudes will move down a bit, agitating the ice layers, which make it prone to avalanches.

Although mountaineers usually choose to climb the mountain in the winter, the "active" glaciers on Kagebo Peak cause them many difficulties. We don't know what circumference the climbers encountered, but the instability of maritime glaciers is no doubt one of the main factors that make the top of Kagebo Peak so inaccessible.

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