Liu Yong "Abond" Bang

Coming in with a Bang

• Age: 22
• Current town: Yangshuo, China
• In it: 6 years
• Proudest sends: Dragonbell (5.14a), Tonsai, Thailand; Thunder (5.14a), Lei Pi Shan, Yangshuo, China; China Climb (5.14b), Bi Shan, Yangshuo; Spicy Noodle (5.14c), Bi Shan; Blue Magic (5.14a), Bi Shan; Sea of Tranquility (5.14a), Moonhill, Yangshuo
• Sponsors: Black Diamond, North Face

Abond has only been climbing for six years and already is one of China’s strongmen, putting up his first 5.14 at the age of 19. Unlike many young climbers, Abond has been a huge asset to China’s climbing industry, playing an instrumental role in finding, developing, and maintaining new crags and lines. Although Abond’s passion lies in climbing hard lines and pushing physical limits, it is his self-proclaimed “job” to educate his climbing community and help China evolve into an accessible and premier destination for international climbers. Besides being a badass sport climber, Abond is one of the most sincere, introspective humans I have had the pleasure to spend time with.

How did you get into climbing? I started climbing when I was 15 or 16 with my cousin Tommy. He took me to the Wine Bottle crag in Yangshuo, and after five minutes, put me on a 5.11c. The first bolt was about 20 feet up. At 15 feet, I yelled, “What If I don’t make it?” and quickly realized that I had answered my own question. Terrified, I made it to the sixth bolt and clipped in because I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish. Since no one else who was there could finish the route, he made me take whippers all the way down, and all I can remember thinking while gritting my teeth and trying to not cry was, “Is this what they do every time they climb?”

Have you climbed much outside of China? I have climbed in Tonsai, Thailand, Indian Creek, and Salt Lake City. Also, I was recently part of a climbing event in Singapore for the opening of the new casino. Tomorrow I am going to the visa office to apply to come to the U.S. for a month and visit the Red River Gorge. I will arrive late in September and plan on staying until the money runs out!

What has been your hardest send so far? I tried getting on Spicy Noodle (5.14c) in November 2009, but after a couple of attempts, the farmers closed the area to climbers. There is a lot of turmoil where Bai Shan (White Mountain) is located; tourism companies from Guilin and the two villages battle over money and rights to the mountain, when it should be everyone’s. I decided instead of hanging out around Yangshuo, I would head to Beijing and train indoor for the winter season. Unfortunately, during this period, I busted up a pulley tendon in my finger and was out for four to five months. In June and July, I started training slowly to get back into climbing shape and started working Spicy Noodle again. In mid-August, after about one and a half months, I finished Spicy Noodle, which is my proudest route to date.

It is such a cool and interesting route. The bottom section is tough—overhanging, bouldery moves up into a couple of nice cave rests. After that, the real business begins. Less than a week before I sent, my good friend ripped off a key hold on the tufa. I can assure you we are still good friends. I attempted going to this new, nasty crimper and decided that it may be better to bypass this hold all together. The sequence I use is a really dynamic move right into the crux. I’m sure that this makes the route harder, but I really can’t say if it raises it a letter grade. I have called it a 5.14c, but it is never really easy to tell. All I can say is that it is the hardest thing I have ever finished. I’m excited for other people to climb it and see what they think. Maybe during this year’s Yangshuo Climbing Festival someone will get a chance. The route ends with hard 5.12 tufa climbing; there is one badass spot where you can get this funky sideways knee bar that makes for a funny photo. At times, especially during the crux, I have no recollection of the climbing. It’s like I am bearing down and giving it 110 percent, and then I’m either falling through the air, or I’ve made it through the crux and all there is to do is link up the rest (which is still hard!).

What is it like being a climber in a restrictive country like China? I think of China (in terms of climbing) as a baby. I feel like it is my job to help it grow into an adult. At places like Bai Shan, farmers are still chopping the first bolts, which at times has forced us to place the first bolt very high. This can be scary as well as dangerous, so I recently started replacing these with ringbolts that are much more difficult to cut. Also, on rest days, I travel around to areas and check anchors. Sometimes local companies will contribute money, but often it is coming from my pocket, as well as my friends’.

What do you do other than climb? My girlfriend and I run a fried ice cream stand in Yangshuo that uses all fresh fruit to make ice cream and smoothies. We also just started fixing up a hotel we are calling “Rock-Abond Inn,” and we hope for it to be a nice place for climbers or tourists to stay. My real dream is to be a full-time climber. I know that I am young, and I have so much growing to do, but that is why it is exciting. Although I have a few 5.14s under my belt, I don’t think I am a 5.14 climber yet. I want to onsight as hard as I redpoint. My goal is to be able to do 20 pull-ups after climbing all hard routes. I love climbing with new people who help me work on my technique and show me new ways to be conscious of conserving energy. I think this trip to the Red will be a great learning opportunity for me, and I hope to meet climbers who are doing it full-time. I want to live the lifestyle with them and learn as much as I can.