A Challenge and a Calling: Nur Asram Ramli on the Kinabalu Earthquake and the Soul of a Mountain
5th June 2015, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Mount Kinabalu, shaking not just the rock beneath climbers’ feet but the spirit of an entire community. Ten years later, we return to that moment through the eyes of those who were there – those who led, who carried, and who have never forgotten.
Nur Asram Ramli has been a mountain guide since 2013. When the earthquake struck, he became something more: a rescuer, a witness to tragedy, and a quiet custodian of the mountain’s soul. In this story, Asram shares what he saw, what he endured, and why he continues to serve Mount Kinabalu despite it all.
A Morning Like Any Other
The morning the earthquake hit, Asram was still in bed. “I wanted to sleep,” he recalls, “And then it happened, just like that.” There was no warning. What began like a dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Confusion reigned in those first moments. No one knew the scale of what had just occurred. Calls from park rangers came quickly, asking for help. In the stillness after the quake, Asram and his fellow guides were already preparing to leave.
The Ascent Begins
(Photo: AFP)
Without hesitation, Asram left his family behind in the village and gathered with other mountain guides. The gravity of the situation wasn’t fully clear, but they knew something terrible had occurred above. “People were asking me, ‘Did anyone die up there?’” he remembers, “We didn’t know. We were still assembling at the base, getting ready.”
The early hours were filled with uncertainty. “It felt like it wasn’t real,” he says, “Like a dream that we hadn’t woken up from.” But as the rescue team began its climb, the reality grew heavier with each step. They weren’t just going to help strangers; they were going to find friends. Family. Fellow guides who hadn’t yet returned.
Reaching the Base Camp
Asram made his way up to about 300 metres above Panalaban Base Camp, searching for a path to the stranded climbers near the summit. But everywhere he turned, trails were buried beneath fallen rocks. The way forward was completely blocked.
“It was very hard to go there,” he recalls, “I couldn’t find any trail.” The rockfalls made navigation impossible and extremely dangerous. In that moment, he caught a glimpse of something no guide ever wants to see – bodies being carried down the trail. “That was the most horrible part for me,” he says, “Very troubling. I couldn’t look.”
Emotionally overwhelmed, he returned to the base camp to help in other ways – bringing food to stranded climbers and preparing for the next phase of the rescue.
The Rescue Delayed, Then Rushed
(Photo: The Star)
The plan had been to stay the night at Panalaban and resume rescue efforts the following morning, once it was safer. “The site was too dangerous,” Asram explains, “Still too many rocks falling.” But around 9:00PM, another strong aftershock struck.
The team quickly assembled at the helipad to make a decision. By 10:00PM, with darkness falling and risks still high, a decision was made: descend that very night. Forty mountain guides, alongside a few members of the fire department, began the urgent journey down.
Carrying the Injured Through the Night
(Photo: New Straits Times)
Among the many climbers stranded were those too weak or injured to walk. Asram’s team carried one such man on a stretcher all the way down to Timpohon Gate. “His leg was already injured,” Asram says, “He couldn’t move at all.”
Other teams also helped carry the injured, taking turns when strength gave out. Though some members of the civil defence (APM) came up to assist, they struggled with the rough terrain. “They couldn’t carry the injured down,” Asram says, “So the mountain guides replaced them.”
By 5:00AM the following morning, they arrived at Timpohon Gate – exhausted, traumatised, but alive.
The Toll of Trauma
When Asram returned home, he didn’t leave his room for days. “I was very scared,” he admits, “I didn’t want to be a mountain guide anymore.” The emotional weight of the experience nearly ended his career.
For a month, he kept to himself, struggling with the memories of what he had seen. “It was too much,” he says, “I didn’t go anywhere.”
Rebuilding Trails, Rebuilding Spirit
Months later, in September, Asram was asked to help reconstruct the summit trail. He accepted.
“I saw it as a challenge,” he explains, “I learned something, that the mountain was angry, but it was giving us another opportunity to do better.”
Returning to Mount Kinabalu, not as a guide but as a healer of the trail, allowed him to slowly rebuild his connection with the mountain. Over time, that healing turned into purpose.
Honouring Robbie and Joseph
(Photo: Wordpress)
Among those who died in the earthquake were fellow guides Robbie Sapinggi and Joseph Solungin.
“Robbie was a very experienced mountain guide,” Asram says, “A good friend. Very helpful, very friendly.” He last remembers seeing Robbie on the mountain around 2014. The loss still lingers.
Joseph died shielding climbers from falling rocks. “He gave his life,” Asram says, “He gave his life to the mountain.”
What Mount Kinabalu Means to Asram
For Asram, Mount Kinabalu is more than a place. “The mountain is alive,” he says, “It sees us when we climb. It knows what we want. It watches.”
He speaks of the mountain with reverence, not fear. “Mount Kinabalu is not only a mountain,” he says. “It is the spirit of the villages around here.”
A Message to the World
Asram hopes people who visit Mount Kinabalu take time to understand its story – not just the view from the summit, but the lives of the people who walk its trails every day.
“We care for Mount Kinabalu like we care for our families,” he says. “People should respect the mountain. And remember what happened here.”
Guiding Onward, Ten Years Later
Ten years after the earthquake, Asram is still guiding. Still climbing. Still carrying.
“This is not just my job,” he says. “It’s who I am.”
Through his words, it’s clear that while the scars remain, so too does a deep and unshakable bond between the mountain and those who live in its shadow. In men like Asram, the soul of Mount Kinabalu endures.
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