‘Remember, this is a holiday. Your hike is like a holiday. Go slowly and enjoy it. But if you rush it, you won’t enjoy it, so take it nicely and slowly. Baby steps all the way.’
These are the wise words of Sapinggi Ladsou, also known as ‘The Legend’ of Mt Kinabalu.
It’s day four of our 11-day Sabah Adventure and our small group of hikers are gathered at Timpohon Gate – the Kinabalu trailhead – ready for our pre-climb briefing. As soon as Sapinggi starts to share his words of wisdom, I can see the shoulders of the group start to drop ever so slightly, and nervous smiles start to spread across the group with a few nods to each other that suggest, ‘we got this.’
Before we set off, our trip leader Felix explained that we were lucky to be in the company of ‘The Legend,’ as he told us about Sapinggi’s reputation as a much-loved, longtime-serving mountain guide and friend of Intrepid, which had earned him this name among his peers.
For over 45 years, he’s played a huge role in getting climbers up and down one of South East Asia’s highest peaks – and at 4095m above sea level, this is no walk in the park.
Sapinggi is one of three guides joining us, there is also Binker (who, it turns out, is Sapinggi’s son) and Bonny. Their role is to bring the vibes, but more importantly, they’re here to safely guide us up and down the mountain and work closely with park rangers in case of emergency.
Before we set off, our leader had explained that we were lucky to be in the company of ‘The Legend,’ as he told us about Sapinggi’s reputation as a much-loved, longtime-serving mountain guide.
Sapinggi is right to tell us to go slowly and enjoy the ride. This is a holiday, and the hike is part of it, so why rush it? We’re in good hands. After all, if The Legend tells you to go slow, you listen.
Thanks to his wise words and encouragement to slow down, I did exactly that, but I can assure you, it was still a challenging climb.
The conditions of Kinabalu – high altitude, strong winds, icy temperatures at the top and plenty of stairs meant most of my summit climb was focused on going ‘slowly, slowly’ with encouragement from Sapinggi. As much as I love a good chat, scaling rocky terrain before sunset wasn’t the time or place for it.
The descent that day was just as tough and my quads were on fire, but at least I could catch my breath and hold a conversation. It was here that I could learn more about Sapinggi’s story. He was generous enough to share what it’s really like spending almost five decades climbing Mt Kinabalu while also staying focused on making sure our group descended safely. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
Sapinggi who is now 67, started working as a mountain guide for Sabah Parks in 1978 at 21 years old, but his time on the mountain predates this. He was just 10 when he made his first-ever climb as a porter, working with one of his brothers-in-law.
‘I was always working during school holidays,’ he says, ‘and the park wardens got to know me. When I was older, they wanted me to be a park ranger, but the office base was too far from my hometown 12 kilometres from the mountain. I decided not to be a park ranger, but finally, they said, “Why don’t you become a mountain guide?”’ By 1978, Sapinggi joined a team of just 26 mountain guides and was officially licensed by Sabah Parks.
Today, there are over 300 mountain guides and together, they play a huge part in successful climbing experiences from travellers worldwide.
Sapinggi shares details about his first trip and how difficult it was. ‘Oh, that first trip was very, very challenging,’ he says, ‘because, at that time, I could only understand a few basic words of English and I found it very, very hard, but Sabah Parks said you can do it, Sapinggi!’
When Sapinggi was younger, he would complete anywhere between 10 to 12 trips to the summit a month. Even today, he completes the summit climb to Mt Kinabalu six to eight times each month.
‘I had to get used to it. But now, wow, I love my job as a mountain guide,’ he adds with a big smile.
When Sapinggi was younger, he would complete anywhere between 10 to 12 trips to the summit a month. Even today, he completes the summit climb to Mt Kinabalu six to eight times each month. He laughs when I ask how many times he’s been to the summit and says, ‘with 46 years already doing this, it’s thousands and thousands of times.’
Sapinggi goes on to share that some of his proudest moments are thanks to all the people he’s met along the way.
‘As a mountain guide, I am so proud to say this is where I learned all my English. And now, tourists all over the world come here and there are many different experiences and lessons that come through our job as a mountain guide,’ he explains.
I learn too, that in years past, Sapinggi and his wife previously welcomed Intrepid travellers into their home as part of a community-run homestay experience in the village. He tells me proudly that each of his ten children were all born in his home (he adds that, thankfully, his mum was a midwife and helped deliver them all).
Some of his children followed his footsteps, guiding and being involved in the tourism industry – including Binker, one of Sapinggi’s sons. He shares that they often get to work with each other on the same trip. ‘Binker drives me to work,’ he says, laughing.
In 2015, Sapinggi’s son Robbi sadly died in the Mt Kinabalu earthquake while working as a mountain guide. We didn’t go into the devastating impact the quake had on his community, but it left a deep emotional scar and highlighted the dangers faced by local guides.
With every step we share, it’s clear that Sapinggi truly loves every bit of the journey. His gentle pace, the ease at which he moves up and down the mountain and the beaming smile he shares with other climbers, porters and mountain guides just makes the demanding journey feel (almost) that much easier.
To every group that passes us, he takes time to congratulate them, celebrate where they are on the mountain and remind everyone to take it easy. There really is no rush (even if I’m fighting a mental battle at the same time questioning if I can complete the trek), but Sapinggi’s constant reminders make it that much more manageable.
I still like to be on the mountain, but aside from being a guide, I am happy to take care of my crops – especially my bananas, pineapple and so many different durians.
When I asked about his favourite parts of the trail, he says the five-kilometre and eight-kilometre marks on the way to the summit. Then he goes on to add, “And when you get to the 8.5 kilometre mark, that is also my favourite, but also the hardest part. It is part of my favourite on the mountain because there, where the hardest part is, is where you have to take care of your job as a mountain guide and take care of the people.”
Just in case leading hundreds of travellers up and down Mt Kinabalu wasn’t enough to keep Sapinggi busy, he’s also a farmer, and some of his children, including Binker, live on the farm with him.
‘I still like to be on the mountain, but aside from being a guide, I am happy to take care of my crops – especially my bananas, pineapple and so many different durians. The fruit that’s on my farm, if it’s good after today, then I’ll decide to think about what next. We’ll see.’
I can confidently say climbing Mt Kinabalu was one of the hardest challenges I’ve tackled. The role of the mountain guides is not to be underestimated. They’re the unofficial cheerleaders, the best damn coaches and motivators by your side every step of the way to safely keep you moving when you think you can’t go another step. Their calm approach to the climb is beyond reassuring – and the perfect antidote when panic and fear creep in.
Cheers to the incredible team of mountain guides on Mt Kinabalu. We truly couldn’t do it without you.
Climb Mt Kinabalu on the 11-day Sabah Adventure and keep an eye out for Sapinggi on your way up and down the mountain. If you’re lucky, he’ll be walking along the trail with you.
