Mountain climbing is actually quite complex — PRO TREK makes it simple.

       Mount Everest is a sacred place in the hearts of many people, and many wish to explore it. But in reality, climbing Mount Everest is fraught with danger at every turn, leaving no room for carelessness. Any oversight, and Everest offers climbers only two choices: take a wrong step to the left, and you die in Nepal; take a wrong step to the right, and you die in China.

       I am an outdoor explorer named Zhang Baolong, and I’ve been involved in mountaineering for several years. Climbing has given me unprecedented experiences and emotions that city life simply can’t provide. Speaking of climbing Mount Everest, today I’d like to briefly share a small part of the Everest climbing journey.

       My climb along the traditional South Col route of Everest took about 60 days in total. The actual summit push took roughly 5–7 days, while the other 50 days were spent acclimatizing to the altitude.

       The South Col route differs greatly from the North Col route. On the North side, you can drive a car all the way to the base camp at 5,300 meters. Thanks to China’s growing strength, the infrastructure on the North side is also better than that on the South, such as 4G mobile signal coverage and convenient transportation. On the Nepal side of the South Col, however, the economy is less developed. To reach the Everest South Base Camp, you first need to take a small plane or helicopter to Lukla, then hike for 5–7 days to get to the base camp. The hike along the way is rather basic, only meeting essential needs for food and lodging. Charging requires payment, mobile signals are available in only a few places, and the speed is very slow.

       In addition to the harsh conditions during the climb, landing at the small airport in Lukla, Nepal, is also a dangerous endeavor. Lukla Airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the world. In 2018, when I was climbing Manaslu, just 10 minutes after getting off a helicopter, a returning flight crashed, killing five people. This year, just as our team started trekking the EBC, we heard that a plane had collided with a helicopter in Lukla, and the pilot was killed. Sometimes you really have to respect nature.

       Choosing a professional mountaineering career, as I mentioned earlier in the article, means being serious and responsible to yourself. Take equipment, for example. When climbing Everest, I wear professional climbing clothing worth around 40,000–50,000 yuan. As for electronic devices, aside from my phone, there’s my watch. Over more than ten years of climbing, I’ve tried many watches with all sorts of fancy features, but over time I’ve come to appreciate simplicity. Compared to previous outdoor watches that had comprehensive functions like GPS, heart rate, and blood oxygen monitoring, I chose the CASIO PRO TREK PRW-6600Y for this Everest climb.

       This reason goes back to my 2017 Everest climb. At that time, I was at an altitude of 7,300 meters, and the watch I was wearing ran out of power because I had to keep the GPS on to record the route. It wasn’t functioning properly, which was extremely frustrating. The reason I couldn’t charge it was that carrying charging cables and power banks added extra weight — and during a tough climb, even the slightest additional weight feels like carrying two extra lead balls in your backpack. The PRO TREK PRW-6600Y I chose this time is different. It offers a solar-powered system and six-band radio wave reception. Since I left home on April 7th up until today, I’ve carefully calculated that it’s been over a month, and I’ve never had to worry about battery life or time zone issues. Just exposing my wrist to the sun for a few minutes each day while hiking is enough to generate sufficient power for a good period. And adjusting the time when in different countries only takes a simple operation. I used to think that was unbelievable. These two features are ones I truly love.

Altitude data feedback

Environmental temperature data feedback

       In addition to the solar-powered system and six-band radio wave reception, the PRO TREK PRW-6600Y is also equipped with the latest third-generation triple sensor, which provides real-time feedback on various environmental factors through the watch’s multifaceted data — such as altitude, air pressure, and ambient temperature. The photo above shows the altitude I measured at Everest Base Camp at 5,350 meters. There’s an error of about 250 meters, but that doesn’t affect the normal use of the altitude function. Altitude isn’t just a simple number. Here I’d also like to clarify that many may think a 250-meter altitude error is huge and doubt the measurement accuracy of the PRO TREK PRW-6600Y. In fact, for those who require high data accuracy, you can place the watch on flat ground and let it sit still for about ten minutes, and the data will become very accurate. But getting back to the point, altitude feedback can guide us in planning timing and pace during climbs. On Everest summit day, from C4 at 7,950 meters to the summit at 8,848 meters, the relative elevation gain is about 900 meters. Suppose my watch reads 7,700 meters at C4 — I can estimate that when it shows 8,600 meters, I’m close to the summit. By observing how much altitude I gain per hour — say, 100 meters — I can roughly calculate that it’ll take about 10 hours to reach the top. With that, combined with the weather forecast, I can set a better turnaround time and complete the climb before bad weather hits. The altitude function of the PRO TREK PRW-6600Y is extremely practical for expeditions and holds great significance for outdoor explorers.

      Mountain climbing is a team effort. Even in commercial climbs, clients and guides must work together to perform at their best. For every Everest client, there is a Sherpa guide, and some clients even have two or more — for instance, Xia Boyu, who summited Everest in 2018, had five Sherpas assisting him. Sherpas have a tough job. During the summit phase, their walking speed might not even match that of the clients, as they’ve been working intensely for dozens of days, carrying clients’ gear while using only half the amount of oxygen. To ensure a smooth climb, clients should also help their Sherpas as much as possible — for example, by carrying an extra sleeping bag or bottle of oxygen.

In 2017, I told my Sherpa, “Just show me the way,” and we summitted happily in just six hours. On the way down, we encountered an unconscious Pakistani client and his Sherpa guide. I left my own Sherpa to help, which led to one of the most successful 8,000-meter rescues. In the end, both unconscious individuals were brought down the mountain, though they had to undergo limb amputations due to severe frostbite. Thankfully, they survived.

       Aside from climbing, I also enjoy extreme sports like ice climbing and rock climbing. I remember last October when I climbed the northwest ridge route of Gongga Mountain — the route was very difficult. The watch I had at the time had comprehensive outdoor features, but its biggest downside was its weight. Every time I reached out to climb, the extra weight felt very awkward and affected my ice climbing feel.

       This time, the CASIO PRO TREK PRW-6600Y not only has more comprehensive and convenient features, but it’s also very lightweight, perfectly suiting my needs. While ice climbing on the terrifying glacier at Everest Base Camp, it didn’t affect my wrist feel at all.

       Times are changing quickly, and the features of watches these days are becoming increasingly diverse, often making it hard to choose. Whether it’s expeditions, mountaineering, or sailing, they’re all like stubborn old-timers — getting things done requires a lot of effort, and any flashy extras won’t help. Only solid, real capabilities matter. Choosing a watch like PRO TREK is precisely for this reason — it’s simple and practical. The solar-powered battery life allows the PRW-6600Y to keep working continuously without being affected by external factors. Coupled with its waterproofing, timely data feedback, portability, and CASIO’s unique six-band radio wave reception, these four key features come together in the PRW-6600Y. This also represents the future trend of outdoor watches, reflecting PRO TREK’s advanced understanding of outdoor products.

       Recently, I just completed the first stage of acclimatization on Everest, reaching the base camp at 5,350 meters. Next, I’ll head to 6,100 meters and 7,300 meters for further adaptation climbs. Soon, I’ll be summiting Mount Everest. Harsher environments await me and the PRO TREK PRW-6600Y to conquer, and at higher altitudes, I’ll explore the limits of this watch.

Full of anticipation, stay tuned.