At 5588 meters (18,333 ft.), northwestern Sichuan's Mt. Xuebaoding is the tallest peak in the Min Shan mountain chain, which is itself a branch of the massive Kunlun Range that forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Historically part of greater Tibet, Xuebaoding today lies within the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture; the local Tibetan population refers to the mountain as Shar Dung Ri, and both Buddhists and followers of the ancient Bon religion consider it to be sacred. The massif is covered in snow all year-round, and from a distance is said to look like a god in shining white armor. Deep ravines and glaciers criss-cross the mountain, forming incredible shapes that make your imagination run wild. Down in the valley, sheep, deer and pheasants roam pastures and forests; streams and waterfalls flow from the mountainside forming hundr... more >>