About Me & My Love for Mount Kinabalu

Hello! I am Jackz Lee, a Mount Kinabalu climber. Did you know that my passion is Mountain Climbing? And that my favourite mountain is Mount Kinabalu?

Are you still wondering why? Let me tell you a story about myself…

I was born in Hospital Kangar Besar of Kangar (very small town), Perlis, Malaysia to very beautiful parents. I have five brothers and sisters who grew up in a healthy and simple family because of my parents hard work planting vegetables in a farm. My love and thanks to them for their sacrifice to me and my siblings all these years.

During my early days, I had been very active in school, scouting, camping, took up some sports and you might’ve guessed that one of my hobbies was actually hiking. (Hahaha…)

Besides Mt. Kinabalu, I’ve also hiked Gunung Jerai, Gunung Tahan, Gunung Trusmadi & Gunung Tambuyukon (the second and the third highest mountain in Malaysia which are also located in SABAH) and of course, the tallest mountain in the world: Mount Everest …. in my dreams. (Just kidding! I probably might do that in real life someday.)

My secondary school years was spent at SMJK Sin Min, and later on I flew across the ocean to University of Sabah to obtain my Degree in Forestry.

In August 2008, Jackz obtained his Degree in Forestry from University of Sabah, Malaysia. After that, he immediately pursued a Localised Nature Guide course from the Asian Tourism International College.

Well, guess what happened back then…

During my studies, I decided to explore Sabah as well as to climb the tallest mountain in Malaysia! So with the help of another friend, I then got to see one of the greatest show of flora & fauna to me on Earth:- Mt. Kinabalu & Sabah, the Land Below The Wind!

What could actually be more interesting to me, than being surrounded by more than 4500+ species of plants, 350+ species of birds and 100+ species of mammals – some of which you might have never imagined exist! You’ve probably heard about the Nepenthes pitcher plants and rare Earthworms around Mt. Kinabalu, but there are a lot more interesting creatures & plants than that on the way up!

So back in those days, I climbed Mt Kinabalu a total of 11 times and helped more than 1000+ students from all over Malaysia (UM, UPM, UKM, MMU, UNIMAP, UTM, IMU, Han Chiang College, TAR College, etc.) up Mt. Kinabalu.

With each climb, I learned new things about the mountain, so I continued sharing with others what Mount Kinabalu was all about. To me, the most interesting of all is the beauty of Nature on every trip and the challenge of bringing my team to the very top.

Since I had some experience of Mt. Kinabalu and its flora and fauna, once I have been giving talks to students at the university and preaching young people about mountain climbing, forestry, the ecology of Mt. Kinabalu and other nature related topics. Until today, it is simply my love and passion to share with all hikers, tourists and young people about my travel abroad and hiking experiences in the wild.

Before I obtained my Degree in Forestry, my final year project was focused on Mesilau Trail (one of the trails up) and eventually, I completed a thesis titled: “The Environmental Factors on Tree Distribution and Community Formation along Mesilau Trail, Kinabalu Park, SABAH.” From this effort alone, I had learnt a great deal from the senior park researchers, university lecturers, seniors, mountain guides and not forgetting, the university library – again my thanks to these people and places. Th road was not easy, and I have to admit that i did stop top play online casino games on the way.

Until today, in order to keep my mind as sharp as before, I still flip through giant books in order to provide the best and accurate information to all tourists and travellers.

My Achievements

To date (November 2013), having climbed Mount Kinabalu a total of 80 times and received more than 100 certificates as a record to my achievements (I am not joking this time!), I’m simply amazed by the number of climbers that joins me every week as I humbled myself to keep climbing and aim to continue helping others achieve something that they may not have experienced before. I’m sure that many of us wants to experience something extraordinary too, especially something as beautiful as Mount Kinabalu!

So until now, I’ve actually guided more than 2000+ climbers up Mt Kinabalu to date and still enjoy every trip up. The climbers I guided up Mount Kinabalu are from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, China, UK, USA, Canada, Portugal, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Australia & New Zealand!

This achievement I have today must be shared with all the climbers who have climbed with me. I truly appreciate the journey we had together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my fellow climbers.

Jackz Lee’s Mt Kinabalu certificates:

While I enjoy every trip up, there is something I have yet to experience which is a clean hiking trail. In fact, on all of my trips, I am actually sad to see a lot of rubbish and litter along the trail. So I’ve decided to create an Eco-Climber Certificate for those who collect enough rubbish during their way up and way down!

I feel this is one of the ways we can continue to keep Mount Kinabalu and its environment clean and more enjoyable for all hikers. If Mount Kinabalu has showed you its natural beauty and miracle, we should also find ways to take care of it. I’m sure every climber will agree to this!

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In fact, anyone could climb and reach the peak of Mount Kinabalu as long they have the perseverance, patience, and the willpower to challenge the impossible! If I have done it so many times, so can you!

Today, my personal goal and mission as a Mt Kinabalu climber is to help anyone who is willing to put one foot on Mt. Kinabalu reach its peak!

Jackz Lee

Jackz Lee’s Personal Affiliations: