“The hardships and challenges along the climbing journey,
I have never feared,
Because I firmly believe,
That one day,
I will stand atop the highest peak in the world!”
6 full marathons completed, with a personal best of 3 hours and 16 minutes at the Xiamen Marathon;
3 hundred-kilometer trail runs, with a personal best of 23 hours and 45 minutes at the Dalian 100 Trail;
3 fifty-kilometer runs, and 1 eighty-kilometer run;
Attended the China Mountaineering Advanced Talent Training Class (CMDI) and is a certified rock climbing coach registered with the Shenzhen Mountaineering Association;
Summited Muztagh Ata, Mount Gongga, Yuzhu Peak, and Xuebao Ding;
Also successfully conquered Lhotse Shar and Island Peak in Nepal;
He is Zhou Hua, who successfully summited the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, this year！
A warrior who constantly challenges himself, breaks boundaries, and faces his fears head-on！
When did you fall in love with mountaineering?
Zhou Hua: 16 years ago when I was in my second year of high school. At that time, our homeroom teacher organized a class trip to Qingcheng Mountain. When I stood at the summit of the front mountain of Qingcheng, I finally understood what that exhilarating feeling of reaching the top was like！ That feeling has remained deeply buried in my heart until now.
Some describe “mountaineering as making love to death！ Having been mountaineering for so many years, have you ever been afraid or wanted to back out?
Zhou Hua: Yes！ On July 30, 2013, just as I was preparing to climb Xinjiang's Bogda Peak, the well-known domestic mountaineer Li Zongli (also from Sichuan) who was climbing Bogda Peak slipped and fell during the descent after reaching the summit. Thanks to the efforts of everyone, Li Zongli was miraculously saved. No one could help but marvel at how lucky he was, including himself！ And as I helped carry Li Zongli down the glacier, seeing him covered in blood, I felt the ultimate threat of mountaineering — death — up close and personal！
So what made you decide to keep climbing afterward, and even reach the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest?
Zhou Hua: In 2014, I learned that Li Zongli had once again stood at the very spot where he had slipped a year earlier. It turned out, he was still climbing！ I am truly grateful to him. His perseverance helped me resolve a long-standing dilemma in my heart: whether to climb again for the sake of my original dream. Fear itself is a sign of weakness. Just like the fear of death, you must face it head-on instead of avoiding it. You must acknowledge that there are times when you feel afraid or timid. Only by understanding these feelings can you overcome your fears, break through boundaries, and be reborn！
Many mountaineering enthusiasts care about one issue: gear. What kind of equipment do you usually prepare for climbing?
Zhou Hua: Climbing, especially climbing snow mountains, requires preparing a lot of things: climbing backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, down jackets, windbreakers, raincoats, snow sunglasses, goggles, trekking poles, and so on. Also, a lightweight action camera is essential, such as the Drift action camera. It’s compact, lightweight, doesn’t take up much space, and even supports live streaming. It’s pretty great.