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Yuanyue Dang

Chinese authorities have again stressed that hiking on the deadly Aotai Line in northwest China is illegal after three more people died on what Chinese media have described as the country’s “most dangerous hiking route”.
“It is strictly forbidden to conduct unauthorised hiking traverses and similar activities [on the Aotai trail],” the General Administration of Sport’s mountaineering management centre said in a notice on Friday.
“Recently, five individuals undertook an unauthorised crossing of the Qinling’s Aotai Line, resulting in three fatalities and attracting public attention.”


The Aotai Line in Shaanxi province connects the Qinling mountain range’s highest peak, Mount Taibai, at an elevation of 3,767 metres (12,359 feet), with Mount Ao (3,476 metres).
The warning came four days after the Taibai county government said five hikers had “illegally entered the Aotai Line” in the early hours of January 2.
It said one hiker descended the following day, while the other four were missing. A government-organised rescue team later found three hikers had died, the youngest of whom was 19 years old. One survivor was rescued, according to the county government.
China’s national emergency broadcasting centre, which is affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, interviewed rescuer Tang Xinlong on Saturday who said the hikers had switched their phones to flight mode “at their guide’s request” to avoid being tracked within the restricted zone.
This prevented them from sending timely emergency signals and hindered police efforts to swiftly pinpoint their location, Tang said, adding that the hikers had encountered heavy fog and snow, leading to hypothermia. One victim died after falling from a cliff, according to Tang.
The Aotai trail requires climbers to cross 17 peaks over 3,000 metres high while hiking through largely uninhabited forests, scrubland, grasslands, rocky terrain and mountain ridges. Even under favourable conditions, completing the hike takes about a week.
The group at the centre of the most recent tragedy on the trail was believed to be attempting an easier one-day version of the hike, according to local news reports.
The first recorded successful crossing of the route was reported in 2001, according to Chinese media.
In 2018, the Chinese Mountaineering Association said 41 climbers had been involved in emergencies on the route between 2002 and 2018, and 14 people had died.
Also in 2018, the Taibai Mountain Nature Reserve administration banned hikers from entering the zone and tackling the trail, a ban supported by various other local authorities on environmental and safety grounds.
Nevertheless, according to the Chongqing-based Shangyou News, at least 12 people died on the route between 2018 and 2024.
Several media outlets have stated that travel agencies and guides were “illegally” promoting the trek, claiming on social media they could safely guide hikers across, but the outlets urged hikers to follow official directives and steer clear of the perilous route.


Chinese media also interviewed veteran hiker Yang Yang, who said the Aotai Line was “even more perilous” than the trekking routes on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
On social media platforms, trending posts have called on authorities to abandon rescue efforts for hikers stranded on the trail, saying such operations endanger rescuers.
Outdoor hiking and related activities are booming in China. According to a white paper on the adventure industry released by the China Adventure Association, the country had 350 million adventure hobbyists as of 2024, a number projected to grow to 410 million by next year.


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China

Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them


Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them.


‘Strictly forbidden’: China warns hikers off Aotai Line after 3 die on infamous trail

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them

Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them