Climbing Everest over corpses to reach the summit—famous female climber 'Three Fish' returns home

Taiwanese female mountaineer 'Three Fish' Yvonne Chan Chiao-yu recently accomplished the feat of climbing Mount Everest. She returned to Taiwan by plane on the afternoon of the 4th. In an interview, she mentioned that this year there were more casualties among climbers, mainly due to poor weather conditions. Many climbers would discuss “who died that day” during their ascent.

Yvonne Chan Chiao-yu, one of Taiwan’s most renowned female mountaineers in recent years, recently climbed to the top of the world, Mount Everest. Known for her striking appearance, she is not only a black belt in taekwondo but also an outstanding leader of a volunteer mountain rescue squad. Due to the homophonic nature of her name, she is nicknamed 'Three Fish.'

Yvonne Chan Chiao-yu discussed the experiences of many fellow climbers who perished on Facebook, which drew criticism from netizens for being inhumane and failing to offer help. She explained that in the high-altitude climbing environment, discussions about life and death among mountaineers come naturally. Unlike back in Taiwan, where people are careful about word choice and others’ feelings, climbers often talk casually about “who died today” and the causes of death. Encountering dead bodies on the mountain isn’t too unusual. However, what she saw this year were mostly climbers who had recently passed away, unlike in previous climbs when the deceased had been dead for several years. This year, she encountered six newly deceased climbers resting at the summit.

She said that all high-altitude climbers consider life and death issues. “Life and death are inherently part of the consideration. Since we think about it and make a choice, we go ahead and try. In fact, it is our own choice.” Yvonne Chan also mentioned that most foreigners have different cultural perspectives from ours. In the view of Western climbers, it’s not always necessary to bring bodies down from the mountain. She also heard on the mountain that “bringing a body down would cost $1 million,” though she believes that was likely a joke.

When asked by the media which mountain she would like to challenge next, she replied with a smile that there are 14 mountains over 8,000 meters in the world, and she would love to visit them all if given the chance, “but mountain climbing depends on fate.”

(China Times)