I guess that becomes repetitive, but this is the umpteenth helicopter rescue on Kowloon Peak. The helicopter had to come back twice!

A treacherous route

It seems hikers get lost quite easily on the Jat’s incline side (one of the hardest sides to hike), especially when going down. So, I know I have said and repeated it several times, but if you are considering to hike on suicide cliff, please abstain from going down through Jat’s Incline route, especially at night. You are not only endangering yourselves, but you are also mobilizing uselessly important rescue resources for being stupid.

Jat’s Incline route should never be attempted if you did not do it previously with an experienced hiker. It should, under no circumstances be undertaken if you never went to suicide cliff.

There is a very easy and riskless way down, which is to take the stairs. Going down via Jat’s incline at night in paramount to being irresponsible and unconscious.

Suicide cliff, a trendy  hike… Too trendy?

Most readers land on this blog because of a search on suicide cliff, and these searches originate all over the world. It is a challenging hike for non-experienced hikers, let alone people who come there for the first time. Doing it in daylight is hard merely because of the physical exertion and the difficult passages to overcome. Doing it at night demands extra care because of the lack of visibility and the risks involved with climbing a mountain.

The issue with the trendy side of this hike is that it appeals to a number of people who have often no clue about safety. The issue with posts such as those on this blog is that they might give wrong ideas to people. So, I must emphasize that I never went down on Jat’s incline. I strongly recommend not to take that route, given the risks involved. Climbing suicide cliff via the northern side and going down via the stairs can be done with little to no risks. Going up or down via Jat’s incline is not to be done, especially when it is the first time.

Overestimating one’s capacities

One should never overestimate one’s capacities or take extra risks, just because there is a rescue system in place. Rescue costs money to the community, so calling a helicopter in is no ordinary fat. All the more as the helicopter must hover very close to the mountain, hence putting its crew at risk.

So, if you are planning on climbing Kowloon Peak or going to suicide cliff, please be responsible and be careful. You don’t want to be another of those irresponsible hikers.