During the May Day holiday, a large number of tourists flocked to Mount Wutai in Shanxi for hiking and trekking. Due to the sudden drop in temperature, on May 2nd, there was a sudden snowfall and strong winds in the high-altitude areas of Mount Wutai, leading to some hikers (referred to as “donkey friends,” a pun for “traveler,” who are outdoor enthusiasts engaging in self-guided travel through hiking, climbing, and crossing) getting stranded and calling for rescue one after another.
Several videos shared by netizens showed the scene with fierce winds mixed with snowflakes, making it hard for pedestrians to maintain their balance. Some hikers had their jackets blown away by the strong winds, forcing them to support each other and huddle together to withstand the snowstorm. Some hikers were trapped at the Bei Tai Ding (Northern Terrace), with one overnight camper in a tent expressing fear of falling asleep, saying, “I’m afraid I won’t wake up.” Some hikers did not bring down jackets with them.
Near the Jixiang Temple, tents were seen set up all over the mountain forest. One netizen mentioned, “On May 2nd at Mount Wutai’s Jixiang Temple, the mountain was packed with people.”
It is known that the highest peak of Mount Wutai is the Beita Yedou Peak, with an elevation of 3061 meters, known as the “Roof of North China.” Mount Wutai is not just one mountain but is composed of five peaks: Dongtai Wanghai Peak, Nantai Jinxiu Peak, Zhongtai Cuiyan Peak, Xitai Guayue Peak, and Beita Yedou Peak, forming a flat and wide terrace-like ridge at the top, hence its name.
At 2:00 PM on May 3rd, a netizen posted on social media that there were still strong winds and snowfall at the Zhongtai (Central Terrace) of Mount Wutai. A witness commented, “I made it back alive, almost suffering from hypothermia.”
Blogger “Luke” vividly described his harrowing experience: “When light snow started falling at the Beita, I thought I had entered the scenic area. At 3:00 PM, watching others pay 150 yuan to take a bus to leave, I pulled along a 21-year-old companion and ventured into the wind and snow, preparing to walk the next 9 kilometers. Just 5 minutes into the journey, I realized that Mount Wutai in May was not the light snow I imagined but a truly life-threatening place. With a total weight of 85 kilograms on my back, I couldn’t stand straight in the wind and snow. My ungloved hands were completely numb, my exposed nose covered in frost, and the water in my backpack had frozen. You could see the cold air rushing down from the mountaintop. Enduring such wind and snow, it took me two and a half hours to reach the Hongmen Rock, where there was no shelter from the wind for half an hour. Shivering all over, it wasn’t until an hour after reaching the town at the foot of the mountain and taking a hot shower that I began to recover.”
According to Dahe Daily, despite the snowfall on May 2nd, some tourists still attempted to hike up the mountain on May 3rd.
Currently, the number of hikers is gradually decreasing, but there are still a few individuals trying to cross through non-standard routes.
As of 6:00 PM on May 3rd, staff from the Mount Wutai Emergency Management Bureau stated that new rescue calls were incoming, with stranded hikers on the mountain seeking assistance. Five mountain terraces have been designated as areas for advising hikers to turn back due to their high altitude and severe weather conditions.