Leaves Accompany Me? The 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season Concludes Successfully on Mont Blanc in France

    Although nearly a month has passed since the official conclusion of the “Leaves Accompany Me?” 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season, Shao Chunyu, as one of the members of the Ultimate Dream Team who successfully climbed Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Western Alps of France, still feels an overwhelming sense of excitement when looking back on the event. From the preliminary selection to the knockout stages, and then...

 

The Ultimate Dream Team takes a group photo in front of the cable car station before departure

 

    Onward march!The birth of the Ultimate Dream Team
    Turning back the clock to September 1, 2013, the top 60 teams and 120 participants from the knockout stage of the “Leaves Accompany Me?” 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season, after fierce public voting and expert judging, saw their respective category champions emerge among the Solo Adventurers, Romantic Couples, and Friendship Mix Groups. Together with media representatives from well-known domestic publications such as Outdoor, New Travels, World, Photography Friends, and Pleasant Journeys, they formed a 12-member Ultimate Dream Team, officially setting off for their dreamed highland — Mont Blanc, the summit of the French Alps!

 

 

    “I still remember how excited I was when I received the call from the event organizers informing me that I had won the Romantic Couple category. My wife and I met and fell in love during outdoor activities, and we just got our marriage certificate on September 8. Winning this challenge and being able to step onto the dreamed-of Alps is undoubtedly the best gift from heaven,” said Shao Chunyu. As an annual highlight in the mountaineering community, the “Leaves Accompany Me?” 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season, a large-scale thematic series of events, has now successfully been held for its second edition. Through comprehensive online and offline activities, it fully showcases the mountaineering spirit and skills of enthusiasts, encourages more positive, united, enterprising, and win-win team spirit and values, and has also attracted numerous mountaineering enthusiasts like Shao Chunyu to participate.

 

 

    A Dream Fulfilled!Experiencing an Extraordinary Journey
    On the evening of September 12, as night fell, members of the Ultimate Dream Team gathered at Beijing Capital International Airport and officially set off for France. Over the next eight days of an extraordinary journey, the team members gained countless highlights and unforgettable memories.
    On September 13, upon arriving in Europe, Lafuma, as the organizer of the event, arranged a series of professional training sessions for the Ultimate Dream Team. The previously gifted outdoor gear worth 4,000 yuan per person helped the participants quickly adapt to the Alpine mountaineering environment. Under the guidance of Lafuma’s contracted athlete — renowned mountaineer Aymeric Clouet — the participants climbed two 3,000-meter-plus peaks, Tête Blanche and Aiguille du Tour, within just two days as part of acclimatization training. Their route spanned both France and Switzerland, and cooperation among team members grew more seamless during training. The rich mountaineering culture and well-equipped facilities in Europe also left a deep impression on the Ultimate Dream Team members.

 

 

    Everything was finally ready, and the moment to climb the ultimate dream peak arrived. Although due to snowstorms, some participants chose not to take the Mont Blanc route but instead summited Gran Paradiso (4,061 meters) in Italy, the joy of the climbing process brought extraordinary experiences to the Ultimate Dream Team members. “As Aymeric said, the joy of climbing is not about the height of the mountain, but whether it allows you to immerse yourself wholeheartedly. Whether it’s Mont Blanc or Gran Paradiso, we all enjoyed it thoroughly — and that’s enough,” said Shao Chunyu.

 

 

    Fulfilling the dream of Mont Blanc, fulfilling the dream of climbing, was the shared highest aspiration of the Ultimate Dream Team. The four members staying in Chamonix and preparing to summit Mont Blanc bore not only the dreams of the entire team but also tremendous pressure. During the ascent, they had to contend not only with the majesty of the snowy peak but also with ever-changing weather and knife-like winds. The thrill of climbing was soon replaced by the intensity of the physical exertion and the tension. But when the four finally overcame all obstacles and stood atop Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, all fatigue melted away. The orange glow of the Lafuma flag contrasted with the white snow and the smiles of the four, creating the most moving picture of a dream fulfilled.

 

Ultimate Dream Team members successfully summit Mont Blanc

 

    It is worth mentioning that in addition to challenging the snowy peaks of France, Switzerland, and Italy, the Ultimate Dream Team also participated in the annual Mer de Glace glacier cleanup environmental activity. It is understood that this initiative started in 2008 and was jointly launched by the Lafuma Group together with the Alpin Français Club and local ecological conservationists. Reflecting on the activity, Shao Chunyu emotionally remarked: “The trash left behind by European mountaineering pioneers decades ago is being cleaned up half a century later by us mountaineers from the East. This is a cycle, and also fate. Cherish the environment, starting with me!” There is no doubt that the environmental efforts from the East will carry the spirit of the Mer de Glace glacier cleanup far and wide, and also brought a perfect conclusion to the “Leaves Accompany Me?” 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season trip to France.

 

 

    “Leaves Accompany Me?” 2013 Lafuma Mountaineering Season official website: www.2013lafuma.com