Caffe Bene Himalayan Traverse Expedition 2016 in Nepal
Kinabalu One-day ascent , 23 August 2013. David makes the first 1-day mobility-impaired climb of Borneo's summit
Qinghai Virgin Peaks Expedition 2012: Tackling 6000m virgin peaks in the Tanggulashan area of Qinghai, China
1st Singapore Everest Expedition: online dispatches of the landmark 1st Singapore Mt Everest Expedition, led by David Lim
Aconcagua 2000: David Lim and Tok Beng Cheong tackle the Polish Traverse in Feb 2000, as part of David's comeback climb from disability
Tien Shan Expedition 2000: David and members of the 2001 Everest Expedition lead and trained a team of novices in the first ever Singapore expedit...
Ojos Del Salado - Chile 2001: The Everest 2001 Expedition’s major warm-up climb prior to the Everest climb in 2001.
Singapore-Latin American Everest Expedition 2001: A climb on the North Rodge of Mt Everest, led by David Lim
Climbing the fabled Mount Ararat in 2001: ” I was fascinated by the tale of Noah’s Ark since I was a kid. In 1986 I took the opportunity to tra...
Ascent 8000: Expedition to Cho Oyu and Shishapangma, two 8000m peaks in 2002 by disabled Singaporean mountaineer David Lim
Alpine Rock in Borneo -2010:Why We Need Heroes: Climbing with Borneo alpine rock with Sir Chris Bonington, the legendary British mountaineer.
Extreme Desert Crossing 2007:David and Shani make the 5th ever recorded crossing on foot of the Salar de Uyuni
The “Spirit of Singapore Expedition 2009”, makes 3 virgin peak ascents including the tough peak later named Majulah Peak
Iran Expedition 2006: Multi-peak ascents in Alam-Kooh, and a climb of the long north ridge of Damavand in the Alborz peaks.
Ojos del Salado 2005: The highest volcano in the world --"Of my many adventures and climbs worldwide, there are a few which taught me the lesson t...
Nike Timing Mt. Fuji Climb 2004: David, Ting Sern and Masaharu make an attempt on Mt Fuji in the winter from the Yoshida trailhead.
Mountain of the Star Expedition 2003: An all-disabled mountaineers’ ascent of Pico de Orizaba, 5700m, Mexico’s highest peak and North America...
Maccoffee Tienshan Virgin Peaks Expedition: David leads his team to make the first virgin peak ascents by a Southeast Asian expedition. The team cl...
Kilimanjaro 2011: David Lim returns to Kilimanjaro to climb it from the Rongai Route.
Elbrus 2003: Climbing highest summit of Europe - in 2003. David teams up with Grant and Rudolf in Russia...
Kilimanjaro Challenge 2004: Four disabled mountaineers atempt a remote route on the northern icefields of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m), the summit of ...

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Established by long time mountaineer, friend and expedition partner Wilfred Tok, Mountain Torq provides a unique mountaineering thrill and challenge. Consider it mountaineering for non-mountaineers. Mountain Torq is a string of routes comprising steel rungs, footplates and cables strung alongside steep cliffs and slopes of Mt Kinabalu. This is a via ferrata (or iron road) first created in the Italian Alps nearly 100 years ago. Since then, these methods of climbing up and traversing mountains have spread throughout Europe. MountainTorq is not only set in Mt Kinabalu,a UNESCO heritage site, but is also the world’s highest via ferrata. Find out more here.


Join Grant Rawlinson, my friend, and expedition partner from climbs in Iran, Russian and Kyrgyzstan, as he prepares for his biggest challenge yet – a climb of Mt Everest via the North Ridge in Tibet in Spring 2011. Grant is detailing his training schedule, and supporting charitable causes on his blogsite.

Don’t believe the lie stated in masses of T-shirts and tourist brochures. Mt Kinabalu , at 4095m, is Borneo’s highest peak, but is NOT the highest peak in SE-Asia.This was a popular myth, and helps tourism immensely. The highest peak in SE-Asian is Hkakabo Razi, at 5881m, located in the northern tip of Burma, and has been climbed just once.

Mt Kinabalu is a pluton of granitic rock thrust upwards, and scoured by icesheets in an ancient time. You can still see the marks left by the retreating glaciers. It is also one of the few high mountains in SE-Asia that is not volcanic. One of the most interesting aspects of climbing it is that within a space of a few hours as you climb up, you experience 4 types of vegetation zones : equatorial forests, mossy forests, alpine shrubs, and then bare rock as you go above thetreeline. Nearly 250,000 visitors visit each year, and maybe 50,000 attempt the peak annually. The tourist trail is well marked and has shelters and toilets every few hundred vertical metres. You start the hike at 1800m and finish at the collection of alpine huts and lodges at around 3300m. The newest hut, built by MountainTorq is the comfy Pendant Hut, styled after a European Alpine hut with lots of wood features, framed pictures of climbers, a little library, hot water on tap etc.

Kinabalu 2010: Why We Need Heroes

Oct 3- 7, 2010:

I think it’s important to have heroes in your life to inspire you and to get some of your creative energy validated.

In many ways two of my biggest motivating influences in my younger and adult life have been my father, and Sir Chris Bonington respectively. Chris led a life revolving around mountains. He led expeditions, climbed at a high level, consulted on leadership with business schools, wrote books, and lectured extensively. My own life since the mid 90s seemed to parallel his – not in terms of the incredible skills at which he climbed, but in the same vein, creating a life of climbing mountains by challenging routes, blazing new paths for Singapore mountaineering, and then leading a life of transferring these lessons to organisations and individuals.

We met in 1995 when I helped organise the 1st SIngapore Mountain Festival. By then Chris was probably the best known British mountaineer, and author of over a dozen books. He filled a 300-seater auditorium. In 1999, I had the pleasure of meeting him again in Seattle. In 2009, we both spoke of our uniquely different leadership experiences to a full house at the British Club in Singapore. After this, we planned a fun trip to go to Kinabalu. It was really a rare opportunity to climb with someone who had had tremendous influence on my climbing leadership style, as well as fascinating personality.

David Lim and Chris Bonington having a climb at Climber's Lab, Singapore

Chris arrived with his brother Gerald, and Gerald’s climbing buddy Tony Dunn. For the next few days, we hiked up the summit trail, stayed at the Pendant Hut, courtesy of my longtime climbing friend Wilfred. In the past 3 years , he has invested a large amount of time and money to establish a unique via ferrata route on Kinabalu, called MountainTorq (see below).

We then bagged the via ferrata routes (there are 2-3 variations), followed by some technical rock climbing in the afternoon. We retired to the refurbished Sayat Sayat Hut at 3660m, ate , rested and just enjoyed being ‘out there’. I had not been to Sayat Sayat since the multipeak expeditions I led in the mid 90s. Then, we either tented, or stayed in the rate infested hut while sallying forth each day to climb the numerous technical peaks on Kinabalu’s western plateau such as Kinabalu South ( 3900m), Ugly Sisters (4000m), Victoria Peak ( 4000m), amongst others.

At 76 years of age, Chris showed how it could all stil be done. His view was that Kinabaly had a full 10 years’s worth of great virgin routes to climb,and the granite rock quality some of the best he had seen.

The following day, we tagged the summit. My 8th time, Gerald and Tony’s second time, and for Chris -his first. We descended to the park HQ immediately afterwards with Chris beating me soundly to the bottom by a full 2 hours. If that is not humbling, and oddly inspiring , I dont know what is. Perhaps the best part later were the beers and slap up seafood dinner in town. Thanks very much for our hosts Wilfred and I-Gek for putting together everything.


I have to get Wilfred back on an expedition one of these days…..

More pictures soon!

L to R: Wilfred, Chris and me, having tagged the summit, October 6th, 2010 Chris sending a 5.9 on lead -some nice slabby technical routes just above Sayat Sayat Hut Tony Dunn, and MounainTorq leader, John, just before we completed the route at dawn