Mt. Guiting-Guiting

Sibuyan Island, Romblon 

Major Jump-off: Brgy. Tampayan, Magdiwang, Sibuyan 

LLA: 12°24’50″N, 122°34’4″E, 2058 MASL 

Days required / Hours to summit: 3 days / 10-13 hours

Specs: Major Climb, Difficulty 9/9, Trail Class 5 with rock climbing/scrambling

BACKGROUND 

One of the most difficult climbs in the Philippines is a hike to Mt. Guiting-Guiting, in Sibuyan Island, Romblon. In the difficulty scale used by PinoyMountaineer.com, it stands with Mt. Halcon and Mt. Mantalingajan as the upper limit. This is because of the steep, jagged ridge called “Knife Edge” which one has the cross in order to reach the summit, not to mention the ensuing rock formations with colorful names such as “Kiss the Wall”. On top of this precarious trail, the weather is so volatile that mountaineers would use absolute cut-off times (i.e. 1300H) to reach the summit, otherwise they would have to turn back. By implication, only mountaineers with enough stamina are advised to attempt the G2 climb. The possibility of failure is always there: if the local guides perceive a dangerous weather change forthcoming, the assault is aborted. Patience and perseverence – virtues of a true mountaineer are put to the test in Mt. Guiting-Guiting.

Mt. Guiting-Guiting – fondly called G2 by enthusiasts – was discovered as a mountaineering hotspot during the early 1980’s – an exciting period for Philippine mountaineering, when the novel sport has just begun unravelling new and exciting destinations. In May 1982, a combined team of the Philippine Mountaineering Society (PMS) of Bacolod City and UP Mountaineers did the first exploration of the mountain, reaching the then-unnamed Mayo’s Peak but failing to reach the summit. A few weeks later, some of them returned to make the first ascent to G2’s summit. They were Mon Ruiz, Kim Valino, Bubot Tan Torre (UP Mountaineers) and Edwin Gatia of the PMS.

Thanks to PinoyMountaineers.com owned by Dr. Gideon Lasco for the informations we used in this website.