KOTA KINABALU: Climbing activity to the summit of Mount Kinabalu has been temporarily halted due to extreme bad weather which has bedevilled the state over the past few days.
In a tweet, Sabah Parks director Dr Jamili Nais said the mountain’s summit is closed to climbers, and will only be re-opened once the weather returns to normal.
“Due to unfavourable weather conditions, Sabah Parks has closed the climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu until the weather improves,” he tweeted.
When contacted by the New Straits Times, Jamili, however, said the climb to Panalaban, at an altitude of 3,272 metres, is still open.
Panalaban is a pit stop where climbers can rest before proceeding for their summit climb. It is where the Laban Rata Rest House is located.
“The decision (on whether or not) to close the summit climb is made on a daily basis based on the assessment of the rangers at Panalaban (following a pre-set standard operating procedure).
“So far, the summit has been closed for seven days because of strong wind, heavy rain and poor visibility,” Jamili said.
He stressed that so far, there has been no report of injury or problems by climbers.
To a question on whether hikers who have paid to climb to the summit would be reimbursed over the closure, Jamili said there is a no-refund policy, as climbers are still allowed to go up to Panalaban.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department’s latest yellow-stage thunderstorm warning was issued at 6.18am on Friday.
It said continuous rain and strong winds occurring in divisions of the interior (Kuala Penyu, Beaufort, Sipitang, Tenom, Keningau and Tambunan districts), the west coast, and Kudat are expected to persist until Saturday.
A yellow-stage indicates conditions might include gale-force winds and flash flooding.
The advisory includes Sarawak (Limbang) and Labuan.