When people and mountains meet, miracles happen. The PRO TREK PRX-8000GT accompanied me through the thin-air zones... ... ... ... ...

I am a professional mountaineer. Twenty-one years ago, as a university student, I joined the Peking University Mountaineering Association by chance and began my journey in climbing. Since then, climbing has become the most important chapter of my life. Over the past two decades, my footsteps have taken me across the world—I’ve completed the 7+2 challenge (climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents and trekking to both the North and South Poles) twice, and opened new routes on many treacherous peaks. Climbing has been my shortcut to accessing distant and unknown worlds.

In my view, climbing is the best form of travel and the ultimate expression of it. Through climbing, you can reach remote and pristine places, witness sights few others have seen, and experience the most genuine local cultures. You endure hardships and challenges, yet come to realize how precious and lovely ordinary, stable life truly is. In the harshness of nature, people shed pretenses, forge deep friendships or even find love, building communities that are the stuff of longing. Climbing sets you apart from the crowd, allowing you to keenly sense your own growth—these are all rare and unforgettable life experiences.

Climbing is different from other sports: its essence lies in challenging the limits of life. Climbers face environments vastly different from daily life: high altitudes, frigid and volatile weather, steep and unfamiliar terrain, scarce supplies and support, and relatively isolated and lonely conditions—all of which pose great psychological and physiological challenges. Therefore, climbers must prepare thoroughly to enjoy the rewards of climbing. Otherwise, they risk putting themselves in danger.

Preparation for climbing includes: clear and effective strategic planning, sound judgment developed through rich experience, comprehensive mountaineering knowledge and skills, strong physical fitness and climbing ability, and essential outdoor gear for protection. Based on past experience, correctly assessing and judging dangerous situations, making timely and effective strategies, fully leveraging one’s skills and equipment, and rationally integrating all resources (time, physical condition, climbing capability, gear, etc.) are key to successfully reaching the summit and returning safely.

For this reason, every piece of gear must be chosen carefully and personally tested to ensure reliable performance during long, harsh climbs. At the same time, climbers need to train to build stronger bodies and learn the essential survival and climbing knowledge and skills for outdoor environments. With these preparations, targeted climbing training based on one’s abilities helps accumulate experience, sharpen judgment, and gradually develop a strong strategic mindset.

Take climbing watches as an example. As someone who travels the world for climbing year-round, often staying in remote mountainous areas for extended periods, I look for a watch that is stable, reliable, long-lasting, and comfortable to wear. When I first put on the Casio PRO TREK PRX-8000GT, I was deeply drawn to its texture and details—the dial color resembles the sky over the Himalayas, and the white markings mirror the hues of snow and ice. It’s truly breathtaking!

As I understand it, the PRX-8000GT represents the pinnacle of Casio’s PRO TREK brand. Following the launch of the MANASLU series PRX-2000 named after Mount Manaslu, continuous research and evolution in design, functionality, and materials have led to the current third-generation PRX-8000 series.

The bezel of the PRX-8000GT is made from 64 titanium alloy, offering a lightweight and comfortable fit. The case and band are treated with titanium carbide for corrosion resistance and durability, suitable for any outdoor environment. It also features the latest third-generation triple sensor and a powerful smart operating system—for instance, its six-band radio wave reception makes world time functionality extremely convenient; just set the country code, and it receives accurate time via radio waves, eliminating the hassle of manual time adjustments across countries.

Additionally, the solar-powered system saves me the worry of battery life, which is especially beneficial for high-altitude, long-duration climbs. The adjustable band function easily solves the issue of wearing it over gloves. These practical features perfectly meet my climbing needs. Notably, considering nighttime activities, the PRX-8000GT uses high-quality synthetic sapphire crystal for excellent visibility and readability, while neon lighting aids data reading at night.

Over twenty years of climbing, I’ve accumulated countless stories. And happiness always comes hand-in-hand with hardship and danger. For instance, my two Everest summits are quite fascinating—ten years between them, from 2007 to 2017, was a journey of meeting myself.

On May 22, 2017, I led a team of amateur Chinese climbers, assisted by a Sherpa guiding company, retracing the steps of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. We successfully summited via the traditional South Col route on the Nepalese side and returned safely. This was my second summit. Ten years earlier, in 2007, I had summited Everest for the first time via the Northeast Ridge route, pioneered in 1924 by George Mallory and established by the Chinese Mountaineering Team in 1960. Many things only take on extraordinary meaning when looked back upon.

I recall participating in the “Standing at the Third Pole – Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the First Everest Summit” climb in 2003, which gave me my first chance to get close to Everest. Upon arriving at base camp, I was awestruck—Everest was so towering and majestic, it was unimaginable to stand on top. The thought of climbing it didn’t even cross my mind. I spent dozens of days and nights at base camp, ABC, and North Col, amid cold, wind, snow, sunshine, and the unfathomable blue sky. And all I could think was, “I will come back!” That thought—that’s what we call a dream.

In 2006, I was transferred to the Olympic Organizing Committee to help with the logistics of the Olympic torch reaching Everest. On May 1, 2007, during the torch test climb, I reached 8,100 meters on Everest. From there, the summit seemed within arm’s reach—the dream suddenly felt so close, it was thrilling.

In the final stages of the 2007 Everest expedition, summit opportunities came and went. Though I kept telling myself to stay calm about the chances, the allure of the summit kept drawing me in. When the opportunity finally arose after the committee work ended, and I was offered a spot on the Shengshan Expedition team, I felt a mix of excitement, nervousness, and determination.

To catch the last good weather window for the summit, we set out for North Col on the afternoon of May 21, arriving in darkness and going to sleep at 1 a.m. We gained altitude from 7,028 meters to 7,790 meters, then to 8,300 meters over two days.

Persistent strong winds stalled us at the windy 7,500-meter point. Three of us and our Sherpas were stuck in place for half an hour, unable to move. But at 11 p.m. on May 23, the wind miraculously stopped. At midnight, we left Camp 3 at 8,300 meters and began our summit push.

During the climb, a Colombian girl’s crampons kept dangling precariously overhead, scraping sharply against rocks. In the dim light, it was hard to see clearly, and the route felt extraordinarily steep and narrow—we couldn’t pass, so we waited. The First Step, Second Step, Third Step—each steeper than expected—but in the darkness, there was no fear, not even fatigue, just the act of moving forward.

At around 6 a.m., a red glow appeared where sky met earth. During the final 30 meters, I rested three times as exhaustion suddenly hit hard. The wind remained fierce, and my toes were numb with cold and pain. Staggering, I finally reached the summit adorned with prayer flags. I took out a flag, took a photo, and immediately started descending—I spent no more than five minutes at the top. There was no other thought in my mind except that it was all about to end, and all I wanted was to get down, to descend immediately. By 9 a.m. on the 24th, we were back at 8,300 meters. Everest gave us nine hours. After 9 a.m., the winds roared, accompanying us down to 6,500 meters, lasting for several days. That first summit made me feel like I was standing atop the world, looking down at everything below. Even now, recalling it fills me with deep emotion. Speaking of the world’s rooftop, many mountaineers think of Mount Manaslu (MANASLU), which holds extraordinary significance. On May 9, 1956, Toshio Imanishi led a Japanese team to successfully summit Manaslu, marking the first time Asians conquered an 8,000-meter peak. In 2009, Casio launched the PRO TREK Manaslu series PRX-2000 named after the mountain. Since then, through continuous refinement of design, functionality, and materials, we now have the PRX-8000GT equipped with a third-generation triple sensor. Wearing it, you can truly feel its solid craftsmanship and meticulous details.

Looking back from the pass, five 8,000-meter peaks stand in a row, with Mount Everest in the center, exceptionally steep and majestic, seemingly keeping people at a distance. Just three days prior, I had stood on its summit—how incredible. The shift in time and space creates a sense of unreality… When dreams become reality, I felt happiness, and at that moment, I truly experienced the rooftop of my life.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed. By 2017, I had become a national mountaineering team coach, a professional high-altitude guide, and founded my own adventure company—Summit Exploration. I’ve led many climbers in achieving their goals of conquering the Seven Summits and reaching the poles. Over those ten years, aside from Everest, I’ve led expeditions to the other Seven Summits at least four times. Everest would be a significant milestone in my Seven Summits guiding career, and 2017 seemed like the right time.

And so, the Summit Exploration 2017 Everest South Side Expedition team was formed. From arriving in Kathmandu on April 5, a new Everest gradually revealed itself. Trekking from Lukla to Everest Base Camp at 5,300 meters takes over ten days of acclimatization—a stark contrast to the north side. Coughing became our first challenge. The relentless, nonstop coughing echoing through the camp showed us Everest’s harsh side—this was the infamous Khumbu Cough. After completing the first acclimatization phase at the end of April, I flew back to Beijing specifically to buy a 60-liter backpack full of various cough medicines to bring back to base camp. The second, more daunting challenge was the complex and dangerous Khumbu Glacier.

From 5,300 to 6,400 meters, the active, fractured glacier posed immense risks to the team. Experienced Sherpas forged highly circuitous and perilous routes, including many ladders. Avalanches and glacier collapses were the biggest dangers. To mitigate glacier risks, we first climbed Lobuche Peak at 6,100 meters to gain 6,000-meter acclimatization, and we always crossed the glacier during the relatively stable midnight hours.