In July 2016, 21 members of the Peking University Mountaineering Team arrived in Tibet, marking their return to this snow-capped sacred land after a six-year hiatus since their 2010 ascent of Karjiang.
Stepping forward, step by step, through mountains and rivers
Mount Zhuomulaxiakang is located on the northern foothills of the middle section of the Himalayas, with an elevation of 7,034 meters. It was not until 2013 that small teams began attempting this peak, and in 2015, Sacred Mountain Company organized a ski-mountaineering event here—the only large-scale climbing activity ever held on this mountain.
There is very limited available information about this peak. The Peking University team’s climb was exploratory in nature, and since students typically climb during the summer months of July and August, which coincide with Tibet’s rainy season, continuous snowfall is common, creating harsh weather conditions that significantly increase the risks and uncertainties of the climb. The team established Base Camp (BC) at an altitude of 5,850 meters on July 16. Over the following 12 days, they conducted multiple reconnaissance expeditions and ultimately selected the east ridge as the route for ascending Zhuomulaxiakang Peak.
On July 29, 12 members of the A group from the Peking University Mountaineering Team departed from Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 5,850 meters en route to Camp C1 at 6,600 meters. That morning, the A group divided into three sub-groups tasked with route preparation, transporting route supplies, and transporting camp supplies. The route preparation team was the first to reach the 6,550-meter ridgeline, where they began setting up the climbing route. After securing 250 meters of fixed rope, they suddenly felt the entire ridgeline section of snow begin to collapse downward, accompanied by a loud rumbling sound—an unprecedented occurrence for the team. The unstable condition of the snow, caused by several consecutive days of hail and snowfall in the preceding days, led the route team to assess that the protection anchors were at risk of failure. Continuing work on the ridgeline might further destabilize the snowpack and potentially trigger widespread avalanches. As a result, they decided to abort route preparation and the entire A group withdrew to establish Camp C1 at 6,450 meters. After discussions with coaches that evening, the team concluded that the primary goal of student mountaineering is to gain snowfield experience and training—not blindly aiming for the summit. Attempting the ridgeline was deemed too dangerous, so the east ridge route was abandoned. On July 30, the A group descended from Camp C1 back to Base Camp and gave up on summiting.
B group training on crossing hidden crevasses Photo/Sonam Tashi
Eagles Soar Over the Himalayas
Risk control is especially crucial in student mountaineering. Since 2003, the Peking University Mountaineering Team has focused its climbing activities on snow mountain training. Fourteen years later, the Mountain Eagles Society once again chose a 7,000-meter peak in the Himalayas as its target. Although they ultimately abandoned the summit push due to local weather conditions, the team completed its planned snow mountain training objectives, gained deeper knowledge of the glaciers in the Himalayan region, and all members safely and successfully returned to Lhasa. The mountains are always there, and the mountain eagles, with their dreams of the snowfields, have never stopped soaring.