The name Xia Boyu is an idol and guiding light for many mountaineers. For his entire life, Xia has pursued one dream and passion: reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Now, he has set out on his dream journey once again.
All seasoned mountaineers know that climbing requires a lot of equipment, and scaling a super-high-altitude peak like Everest leaves absolutely no room for compromise when it comes to gear. In an interview with “Sports Afternoon Tea,” Xia Boyu himself mentioned that preparing for an Everest climb means investing in high-quality gear, often costing over a hundred thousand yuan just on equipment alone. Let’s take some inspiration from his experience and see how this legendary climber gets ready for such a feat.
First, just by looking at his outfit, it’s clear that Xia Boyu wears sunglasses every time he climbs. This is because high-altitude snow mountains—especially those above 6,000 meters—can easily cause snow blindness, which brings a lot of inconvenience to both ascending and descending. In such situations, a good pair of sunglasses becomes extremely important. The key to a good pair of sunglasses lies in the lenses. When choosing sunglasses, you should select polarized or photochromic lenses based on your needs, and parameters such as protection level and visible light transmittance are also crucial.
Secondly, trekking poles are also an essential piece of gear for Xia Boyu’s Everest climb. They can improve walking stability during outdoor hiking and trekking, reducing the load on leg muscles and joints by at least 22%, making the legs feel more comfortable. Using two trekking poles also provides better balance for the body. When tackling a challenging peak like Everest,it’s bestto choose poles made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber or titanium alloy. Poles with three sections are generally more stable and safe. Be sure to check whether each section locks securely and can bear weight.
From his gear, we can also see that he carries a Beidou box. What kind of magical device is this? It turns out that the Beidou box is a Beidou position tracker. Xia Boyu relied on it to support position monitoring and record his climbing route during this Everest summit attempt. As everyone knows, on Everest, once snowstorms rage, human strength can do very little to fight back. With this equipment, in critical moments you can press the emergency button to help rescue teams quickly locate you and provide assistance. During normal times, it also allows you to send safety messages to family and teammates so they don’t worry unnecessarily. More importantly, this equipment enables live location tracking—it can clearly record your movement trajectory, even in places with no signal, no matter how high the mountain you’ve climbed. It allows you to share your location with friends and is truly an essential piece of gear for mountaineering.
The gear of true mountaineering experts is indeed remarkable. Today, we’ve only shared a portion of the equipment Xia Boyu uses to reach the summit. Of course, challenging the summit of Mount Everest also requires continuous physical training to enhance cold endurance, as well as extraordinary perseverance. May all mountaineering enthusiasts be able to conquer the high mountain in their hearts.