Pan Zhengsheng, a 37-year-old from Wenzhou, set off with other climbers to Nepal on the 8th of this month to prepare for an ascent of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. Another 24 mainland climbers departed on the 12th, starting their climb from Tibet. Climbing Everest costs at least 300,000 yuan (RMB, the same below), about 1.32 million New Taiwan dollars. For a growing number of mainland climbers, even if they succeed in reaching the summit, they can only stand there for a brief five minutes – yet they still find it deeply fulfilling.
Pan Zhengsheng is not the first person from Wenzhou to climb Everest. Before him, Nan Shizhen became the first Wenzhou native to reach the summit back in May 2007, but he climbed from the north side. There are two main routes to Everest – the south side in Nepal and the north side in Tibet. Each route has its own challenges and vastly different climates, but the ultimate goal is the same: standing on top of the world.
Climbing Everest is extremely expensive. Take the “Dingfeng Expedition,” a high-altitude commercial climbing activity that Pan Zhengsheng joined, for example. The expedition runs from the 9th of this month to May 27th, starting from Nepal. If luck holds, climbers can expect to reach the summit in mid-to-late May. The cost per person is 292,400 yuan, and when you add other miscellaneous expenses, it’s hard to get by with anything less than 300,000 yuan. Even so, more and more mainlanders are aiming to climb Everest, and they even have to queue up for a spot.
Mainland climbers are not only ascending Everest from the southern side in Nepal but also from the northern side in Tibet. Soinam, head of the Tibet Mountaineering Association, said that starting in April this year, over 240 foreign climbers from more than 30 countries – including Russia, Spain, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France – will take on challenges such as Everest, Cho Oyu (8,201 meters, the world’s 6th highest), and Shishapangma (8,013 meters, the world’s 14th highest). Among them, more than 210 will attempt Everest, including the 24 mainland climbers.
Soinam said that over 100 advance team members, composed of personnel from the Tibet Mountaineering Association and Shengshan Expedition Company, had set off for the Everest North Side Base Camp on the 5th of this month. Unlike previous years, this spring climbing season sees the Everest North Side Base Camp equipped with a power grid supply, replacing the former diesel generators. This has made the electricity supply more stable, convenient, and clean, while also eliminating noise interference, allowing climbers to enjoy better rest.
Tibet boasts abundant mountain resources, including five peaks above 8,000 meters in elevation, one of which is Everest. Climbing activities are mostly concentrated in spring and autumn, with the best time for spring climbs being from April to June. Every year during this period, a large number of domestic and international mountaineering enthusiasts flock here to climb, and the number of mainland climbers increases year after year.