Where ICE is NICE

A glacier atop Sichuan's Banji Peak is luring a growing number of amateur mountaineers

The glacier that crowns the 5,430-meter-high Banji Peak in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture isn't far from Sichuan province's capital, Chengdu, but has long remained difficult to access.

It has long been a destination for professional mountaineers but not for ordinary people - until recently, that is.