Checklist to Climb Mt Kinabalu

It is important to have a checklist to climb this mountain.



This is a summary of checklists from various posts. You may follow the links in the checklist below for details explanations of why we need these items.

You may also print out this Mount Kinabalu checklist here from Google Docs spreadsheet or download PDF file.

Checklist in Spreadsheet
Checklist in PDF


 


Clothing to Hike
1. Four sets of clothing that include T-shirt, pants, underwear & socks.
Set 1 from Kinabalu Park HQ to Laban Rata
Set 2 from Laban Rata to Peak and back to Laban Rata
Set 3 from Laban Rata to Kinabalu Park HQ
Set 4 clean shirt leaving Kinabalu Park
  • 4 T-shirts
  • 4 pairs of pants, i.e. Bermuda shorts and at least 1 lightweight (and water resistant) track pants. Don't wear jeans during the climb. Jeans will be heavy if it rains
  • 4 pairs of socks and underwears

St John peak. The second highest peak.



2. Other Clothings
  • a pair of good trekking shoes
  • a pair of Kampung Addidas
  • a pair of slippers
  • a pair of knee guards & ankle guards
  • a headband or baseball cap
  • a towel (optional, as there are towels provided in Laban Rata and Kinabalu Park HQ)
  • a pair of gloves (to hold your hiking pole and fence at the side of the trail). Cotton gloves is good for summit too but it will get wet.
  • rain coats (disposable type is lighter in weight, 2 sets)
  • water proof jacket or wind breaking with hood to cover ears (temperature may drop below zero degree Celsius during rain or night)
  • spare socks and underwear, just in case if rains

Near Sayat Sayat check point.


3. Other Clothings for Night Climb to Summit
  • a layer of thermal wear outside T shirt
    • some simply add a few more layers of T shirts
    • some may opt of lightweight jumper/ sweater instead of multi layers of T shirt
  • Beanie, to cover ears in cold whether
  • Note: water proof your clothes by putting each set of clothes in different plastic bags.


 



Gears & Equipments
  • Headlamp (Important: you must have this to climb safely during the night. Make sure you check your battery before you start.)
  • Battery for the headlamp
  • One small lightweight hiking backpack to carry 2 - 4 bottles of water, a few energy bars, a set of dry cloth, etc.
  • Shrinkable hiking pole. You can buy wooden stick from mountain guides at RM3 (US$1) right before the climb. Due to a new rule to reduce impacts on environment, we can no longer buy the wooden stick from mountain guides. (However, in our previous climb, we managed to buy proper hiking poles (shrinkable) at the Transport Office (beside Reception Office) of Kinabalu Park Headquarter.)
  • Plastic bags (black garbage bags and small plastic bags to keep your clean cloth dry)
  • Whistle (in case of emergency in bad weather and visibility)
  • Hair dryer (blower) is extremely useful to dry your wet clothes. Your shirts are likely to get wet due to sweat and rains.


We climbed this stretch of trail during night.
Climbers must wear headlamp as both of their hands will be holding on the rope.


We climbed this stretch at night. We have to use both hands to pull the rope.
Therefore headlamp is a must. We cannot hold torch light.


Rest, drink water and eat...

Food and Drinks along the climb
  • Snacks, i.e. energy bars, chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, jelly beans, etc. for the climb
  • Bottles of water (at least one litre, preferably in small bottles)


Small First aid Kit
  • Headache tablets
  • Bandaids
  • Antiseptic cream
  • Crepe bandage
  • Triangular bandage
  • Safety pins
  • Cotton buds

Body
  • Cut your toenails. It can be painful when you walk downhill with long toenails.
  • Sunscreen cream
  • Sunglasses
  • Muscle relaxants
  • Altitude sickness tablets (buy from pharmacy or clinic)

You can download or print out the Mt Kinabalu checklist at Google Docs Spreadsheet here or PDF here.


Mt Kinabalu. View from Kinabalu National Park.


Morning view of the land from Mt Kinabalu summit.


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