Mt Kinabalu makes it to Guinness World Records
By RUBEN SARIO
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Mount Kinabalu has made it into the Guinness World Records after being certified as having the world’s highest via ferrata or “mountain top trail.”
On Tuesday, Sabah Parks deputy director Dr Jamili Nais was presented with the Guinness World Record certificate by Mountain Torq Sdn Bhd, the company that established the via ferrata trail on Mount Kinabalu.
The Guinness certificate was presented by Mountain Torq executive director Wilfred Tok and witnessed by Sabah Tourism chairman Datuk Tengku Zainal Adlin Tengku Mansor.
Mountain Torq sales and marketing director Quek I-Gek said the highest of Mount Kinabalu’s “via ferrata” or “iron road” in Italian was at an altitude of 3,776m, nearly 500m higher than the second highest track at the Dolomites mountain in Italy.
The via ferrata on Mount Kinabalu is a route using a series of steel rungs, rails and cables embedded in the mountain’s Panar Laban rockface.
Spanning some 1.2km, the via ferrata was opened to public use on Dec 15, 2007 and since then more than 5,000 people have gone through the two tracks that include a 22m foot bridge suspended 3,600m above sea level.
Quek said Guinness World Records officials issued the certification of Mount Kinabalu’s via ferrata in July and it came after a six-month effort that included survey work done by the state Land and Survey Department.
She said though there were more than 300 via ferratas worldwide, the route on Mount Kinabalu was the only one in Asia.
Tengku Adlin said the Guinness certification would further establish Sabah among travellers especially those keen on adventure and eco-tourism.
“We are proud of the fact that Mount Kinabalu was Malaysia’s first World Heritage site.
“Now Malaysians particularly in Sabah will be proud to identify themselves with a Guinness World Record,” he added.
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