KOTA KINABALU: Climbers should not feel that they did not get their money’s worth if they fail to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu due to bad weather.
Sabah Parks director Maklarin Lakim said this is because apart from their safety, climbers had actually enjoyed the view and experience when they started their journey from Timpohon gate.
“You paid for the view, the adventure and the climb and you were accompanied by trained mountain guides. You reached Laban Rata and enjoyed the whole experience,” he said when contacted Wednesday (July 17).
“Climbers also evaded disaster or accidents when they were told that the summit was closed due to bad weather,” he added.
Maklarin said with this, climbers should not feel that they have lost money or that it was a waste of money just because they could not continue to the summit.
He said nothing beats safety and everyone should always put their lives and health first when carrying out any activities.
He was responding to demands and suggestions from some people who asked that the Sabah Parks refund some money to climbers who had to forgo their hike to the summit of Mount Kinabalu due to bad weather.
An update on the cancellation was posted at the Mount Kinabalu Facebook page, resulting in a string of mixed reactions.
Some Internet users had said that they paid thousands of ringgit and they should be allowed to scale to the top of the mountain, regardless of weather conditions.
Some also accused mountain guides of being unprofessional when they were told that the climb to the summit had been cancelled because of terrible weather conditions.
On July 13 and 15, Sabah Parks closed the summit due to strong winds and heavy rains during the wee hours, not long before climbers were supposed to start their hike to the top.
It left quite a number of climbers disappointed and questioning their money’s worth.
Those who want to get real-time updates and Mount Kinabalu climb permit bookings, can log on to http://www.MountKinabalu.com among many other platforms.
Stricter rules were put in place from allowing a certain number of climbers to scale the mountain at any one time, to stopping the hike based on weather conditions following the June 5 quake in 2015.
A total of 18 people died, while the first responders to rescue and assist stranded climbers were the local mountain guides before the authorities came in.
