Mount Kinabalu Latest Route
Mount Kinabalu climb requires good stamina, but anyone in reasonable shape should be able to do the climb. There is no technical climbing skills needed, a good preparation like cardio workout, running or step climbing 2 months before the climb would definitely helps.
First day of the hike is quite taxing, with steep steps literally from the starting point at Timpohon gate all the way to Panarlaban, where the mountain huts are located. The trail is well defined with distance markers at every 0.5 km interval. For the comfort of climbers there are shelters for climbers to rest, and toilets along the way, advice is to not rest too long as when your muscles relaxed and you need to start moving again that’s when you start to feel the muscle aches.
For the second day hike to the summit, the first 850 meters is on rocky steep stairs and steps until at the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint, where the rangers will check on your climbing ID tag (the very reason you should have it with you throughout the 2 days climb) to allow you through to the summit plateau. Here onwards the remaining 2 km are over smooth granite surface. At one point there is one bit of the path where you would need to use a rope that is fixed to the rock to pull yourselves up, the summit trail route is marked by guided ropes which can be used as climbing aid all the way to the summit.
