Ren Zhong Feng

The mountain was first surveyed by the Sikong Expedition of 1932, an expedition sponsored by The Explorers Club. Surveyors Richard L. Burdsall and Arthur Emmons III calculated the heights of twenty five peaks from photographs taken in August 1932, including the then-unnamed Ren Zhong Feng. The two surveyors dubbed the mountain Peak 156, and assigning it a height of {{cvt|6,107.9|m|ft}}. Later in the expedition, Burdsall would be part of the first ascent of Mount Gongga.{{cite journal |last1=Parrette |first1=Jeffery |title=Ren Zhong Feng and the 1932 American Sikong Expedition: An Exercise in Armchair Mountaineering |journal=Appalachia |date=2024 |volume=61 |issue=2 |url=https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1767&context=appalachia |access-date=19 April 2025}}

In 2008, Japanese alpinist and photographer Tamotsu Nakamura explored and photographed the mountain, naming it Ren Zhong Feng (仁宗雪山, trans. Ren Zhong Snow Mountain),{{cite web |title=Unknown peaks in Tibet documented by Japanese expedition - UIAA |url=https://www.theuiaa.org/unknown-peaks-in-tibet-documented-by-japanese-expedition/ |website=www.theuiaa.org |publisher=International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation |access-date=19 April 2025 |date=29 January 2009}} after the nearby Renzonghai Dam, which is in turn named after a lake created by a landslide dam during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song.{{cite news |title=Russian tourists hit by avalanche in Sichuan: Searchers push flying rocks to Ren Zhong Peak|url=https://news.sohu.com/20091105/n267975506.shtml |access-date=19 April 2025 |work=West China Metropolis Daily |date=5 November 2009|language=zh}}

The mountain, which lies in the southern Daxue Shan, is {{cvt|32|km}} from Mount Gongga and is {{cvt|8.5|km}} from its namesake, Renzonghai Dam. The mountain is the largest within its own subrange, which contains at least ten peaks over {{cvt|5000|m}}, most which are unclimbed. The mountain sees {{cvt|800-900|mm|in}} of rain a year.{{cite web |title=Renzong Mountains – SMG |url=https://www.sichuanmountainguide.com/daxue-shan-range/renzong-mountains.html |website=Sichuan Mountain Guide |access-date=19 April 2025 |date=1 November 2020}} The closest city to the mountain is Kangding. Due to the construction of the dam, there are many roads leading to and from the base of the mountain.{{cite news |last1=Szilias |first1=Kristoffer |title=The First Ascent of Ren Zhong Feng, Sichuan |url=https://jac.or.jp/english/images/vol11/jan-vol11-37-43.pdf |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=Japanese Alpine News |issue=11 |publisher=Japanese Alpine Club |date=11 July 2010}} The mountain is {{cvt|250|km|mi}} from Chengdu, where it is rarely visible on days with low smog.{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Le |title=Enthusiasts produced a Chengdu mountain viewing data report: In 2020, Chengdu opened the door to see snow-capped mountains 70 times|url=https://sichuan.scol.com.cn/cddt/202101/58006778.html |access-date=19 April 2025 |work=West China Metropolis Daily |date=3 January 2021 |language=zh}}

Tamotsu Nakamura reported the height of the mountain as {{cvt|6079|m}}, which remains the official height. Nevertheless, Martin Ploug and Kristoffer Szilas reported that their altimeters read {{cvt|5820|m}} at the summit, and that Chinese surveys of the mountain record its height at {{cvt|5731|m}}.

The mountain was first introduced to climbers in 2008 by Tamotsu Nakamura, who had led more than thirty expeditions into eastern Tibet and western China looking for unclimbed peaks.{{cite news |last1=Lambert |first1=Erik |title=Nakamura: Steward of Unclimbed Peaks |url=https://alpinist.com/features/nakamura-steward-of-unclimbed-peaks/ |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=Alpinist |date=7 May 2008}} Nakamura noted that access to the peak was "very easy", but it was seldom noticed because the neighboring river valley was so deep that the peak could not be seen "except at one or two points".{{cite web |last1=Nakamura |first1=Tamotsu |title=Gorge Country in Southeast Tibet and Mountains in Sichuan |url=https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/65/15/gorge-country-in-southeast-tibet-and-mountains-in-sichuan/ |website=The Himalayan Journal |publisher=The Himalayan Club |access-date=20 April 2025}}

In 2009, two expeditions attempted to complete the first ascent of the mountain. The first, a Hungarian team of four - Peter Csizmadia, Veronika Mikolovits, Balazs Pechtol and Kata Tolnay arrived in early October. The expedition proceeded smoothly at first, with the team successively establishing a base camp and an advanced base camp. Nevertheless, according to the team's last post on 22 October, they encountered difficulties at {{cvt|5500|m}} meters and were forced to change their intended route to the summit.{{cite news |last1=Szabolcs |first1=Vincze |title=Négy magyar hegymászó tragédiája, akik az ismeretlenbe indultak a Himalájában |url=https://www.nemzetisport.hu/csupasport/2023/06/negy-magyar-hegymaszo-tragediaja-az-ismeretlenbe-indultak-a-himalajaban |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=Nemzeti Sport |date=24 June 2023 |language=hu}} The evening of 22 October, a collapsing serac caused a massive avalanche which swept down the upper flank of the mountain, likely burying the climbers and their camp.{{cite news |last1=Cate |first1=Reinhard |title=More Information on Lost Hungarians |url=https://alpinist.com/newswire/more-information-on-lost-hungarians/ |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=Alpinist |date=10 December 2009}} On 31 October 2009, then team failed to return to Chengdu, and a search was launched. The initial search, and a subsequent ten-day search the following year yielded no trace of the climbers, in what remains the worst disaster in Hungarian mountaineering history.

The second expedition consisted of Danish Alpine Club members Carsten Cooper Jensen, Martin Ploug and Kristoffer Szilas, who learnt of the peak through Nakamura's report and pictures and planned to summit in November 2009. After supporting search efforts for the missing Hungarian expedition, the expedition established a base camp at {{cvt|3000|m}} on 14 November 2009.{{cite news |last1=Cate |first1=Reinhard |title=Danes Climb Ren Zhong Feng, Hungarians Missing |url=https://alpinist.com/newswire/danes-climb-ren-zhong-feng-hungarians-missing/ |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=Alpinist |date=9 December 2009}} Jensen turned back due to insufficient an oxygen supply at second camp, and Ploug and Szilas continued alone to the summit. The pair successfully reached the summit alpine style on 28 November, and successfully climbed off the mountain despite Ploug falling {{cvt|30|m}} during the descent.

The mountain has only one other recorded ascent attempt, a Chinese team that turned back at {{cvt|4300|m}}.

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Category:Mountains of Sichuan

Category:Mountaineering disasters