Nowadays, adventurers are really finding new ways to explore. Just last Saturday, 12 hikers from Yinchuan brought professional mountaineering gear to challenge an unclimbed 70-meter icefall at Helankou. After over five hours, all of them successfully reached the top.
At around 9 a.m. on December 21, the Helan Mountain Rock Carvings Scenic Area welcomed a group of “special” visitors. After purchasing tickets, instead of exploring the rock carvings, they headed into the valley and stopped in front of the Helankou icefall. Noticing their professional equipment, the scenic area staff only learned after questioning that they had come to climb the icefall and hoped to get permission. This request posed a dilemma for the staff, as no one had ever climbed this vertical icefall, which stands over 70 meters high — any accident could have dire consequences. Seeing the hesitation, the hikers quickly explained that they had climbing experience and were equipped with the right gear to ensure safety.
After getting approval from the scenic area staff, the 12 hikers began preparing to climb the icefall. First, one of them started ascending from the base of the icefall, driving in a safety bolt roughly every meter and attaching the safety rope to the bolts. It took over two hours to finish setting up before the climb could begin. Around 11 a.m., the ascent officially started. The hikers went one after another, locking onto the safety rope and using their hands to climb upward. One reached the top, then another... until around 4 p.m., all 12 had successfully made it to the summit. Everyone gathered for photos to celebrate being the first to scale the Helankou icefall.
As they left the scenic area, the hikers still didn’t seem satisfied and expressed their wish to return next week to climb again. In response, a senior official from the scenic area said that the hikers’ ice climbing adventure had inspired them. They plan to develop a winter ice climbing activity at Helankou, inviting professional instructors to design climbing routes and provide guidance to citizens, creating a new winter sport in the Helan Mountains.