Rated as one of China's top ten athletes in 2017, Luo Jing, who scaled Broad Peak last July, set off again from Lhasa, Tibet on the 13th. She is expected to arrive at the base camp of Shishapangma today, and if all goes well, she will reach the summit in early May. Although an amateur mountaineer, Luo has already conquered 13 peaks over 8,000 meters in elevation; if she successfully climbs Shishapangma this time, she will become the first Chinese woman to join the "14 Peaks Club."
Although only 42 years old and having started climbing peaks above 8,000 meters in 2011, Luo now only needs to conquer Shishapangma to enter the "14 Peaks Club." Currently, there are only 34 climbers worldwide who have successfully scaled all 14 independent peaks over 8,000 meters.
Luo Jing’s Shishapangma expedition is supported by Tibet Yalaxiangbo Expedition Company, which provides guides and logistical services; another well-known Chinese mountaineer, Zhang Liang, also plans to take on a challenge around the same time.
Grateful to the mountains for returning my life
If all goes according to the original plan, the climbing team will arrive at the Shishapangma base camp today (15th), and the summit attempt is expected in early May. If successful, Luo Jing will become the first Chinese woman to enter the "14 Peaks Club."
Reflecting on her experiences conquering peaks over 8,000 meters over the years, she said, "In the face of the great mountains, humans really are very small. I’m grateful to the mountains for returning my life to me, and I will face life with a heart full of devout gratitude forged through life-and-death trials. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger."
1964: First Chinese Ascent
Shishapangma Peak is located in the middle section of the Himalayas, about 120 kilometers northwest of Mount Everest, within the territory of Nyalam County, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region. It was first summited by Chinese mountaineers in 1964, and is not only one of the 14 Peaks but also the last of them to be successfully climbed by humans.