Conquering the Red Mud Pass

Red Mud Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 4.732m (15,524ft) above the sea level, located in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The pass is traversed by a challenging high mountain road called 303 Provincial Road which runs entirely over the 4.200m above the sea level. Most people feel altitude sickness at around 2,500-2,800 meters.

Red Mud Pass

The road is mostly asphalted but features many gravel sections. It’s 709 km long and climbs several mountain passes. In many places the road is bordered by a drop of hundreds of meters (many hundreds of feet) unprotected by guardrails. The surface of the road is in very poor conditions and includes countless hairpin turns. It’s very steep and the drive is surrounded by snowy mountains. Do not travel this road in severe weather conditions. Avalanches, heavy snowfalls and landslides can occur anytime, being extremely dangerous due to frequent patches of ice. The road is often underwater and severely damaged by rain and landslides and can be closed anytime. During and after a storm the road may be impassable, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Along the road there are several muddy, rough surfaced unlit tunnels to traverse–dripping water and speeding trucks only add to the terror.
Pic: jlguo

 

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