The Peking University Mountain Eagle Society — a name familiar to anyone involved in China’s mountaineering or outdoor communities. It is the first student organization in China centered around mountaineering activities. The society treats mountaineering as a mission, and achieving that mission clearly relies on strong support from dedicated partners. In 2013, the society partnered with an outwardly gentle but fiercely capable strategic ally — outdoor off-road expert Camel. This collaboration provided the Eagle Society with a full range of professional outdoor gear for daily training, outdoor planning, hiking, and mountaineering, offering a solid backbone to ensure their young members could advance without worry.
Ice and Sand, Their First Encounter
At the start of 2013, the society’s winter training proceeded as usual. Team members went to Tianxian Waterfall for ice climbing and snow slope walking training, preparing for the most important mountain climbing activity of the summer. At the same time, it allowed other society members not participating in the climb to experience rare technical lessons in snow and ice climbing. Ice climbing techniques and cold endurance training tested their performance in harsh environments, leaving new members marveling at this never-before-seen adventure in a world of ice and snow.
In April, just as spring arrived in the north, the society also kicked off its first event of the year: a desert trekking journey with Guo Dandan, China’s first world skiing champion. For this event, a team of elite Peking University Mountain Eagle athletes assembled, and professional off-road gear from Camel was promptly delivered. Thus began the challenge of crossing China’s seventh-largest desert — the Kubuqi Desert. Endless, rolling dunes, whipped by fierce winds. A victorious journey depends not only on firm inner belief but also on external equipment like windproof jackets, trekking poles, and face masks. It was the strength of these companions that enabled the Eagle Society to complete its first challenge of the year step-by-step in the desert.
On the Summit of Snow Mountains, Science at the Border Town
As summer vacation arrived in July, two flagship teams under the Peking University Mountain Eagle Society — the 2013 Camel Mountaineering Team and the 2013 Camel Scientific Expedition Team — set out from Beijing to their respective destinations. Long before departure, a range of Camel gear including mountaineering shoes, hiking shoes, windbreakers, softshells, down jackets, and quick-dry clothing had been delivered to Peking University. These high-quality outdoor items provided strong support for the society’s most important mountaineering and scientific expedition activities of the year.
This year’s scientific research by the society took place in a village nestled halfway up the Gaoligong Mountains in Yunnan. Over seven days of investigation, they conducted household surveys, engaged locals in friendly conversation, experienced bustling markets, played basketball with children, collaborated with the Stanford Asian Liver Center on hepatitis B awareness, and discussed issues related to education and development in remote areas. The firsthand data collected will be compiled into a report, becoming a valuable knowledge asset for the society.
Meanwhile, the Peking University Mountain Eagle Society Camel Mountaineering Team headed to Xinjiang to tackle the 6,525-meter-high Kezilero Peak. Many pre-summit tasks — such as preparing supplies, acclimatization hikes, and setting up the high-altitude base camp — were already routine for the team. Yet they remained vigilant, as conditions on the snow mountains can change in an instant, and Kezilero Peak is known for its particularly unpredictable weather. Ultimately, protected by the professional gear provided by CAMEL, the climbers met each challenge head-on. It was their determination and their reliable partners that allowed the Eagles to freely soar atop the mountain summits.
Spreading Outdoor Lifestyle Values, Continually Scaling New Heights
In September 2013, as a new batch of students entered campus, it also meant that more young mountaineering enthusiasts joined the ranks of the professional Peking University Mountain Eagle Society.
For over twenty years, the Peking University Mountain Eagle Society has persisted in independent climbing and organizing various events, thanks in no small part to the strong support of its sponsors. The CAMEL brand has closely followed the society’s growth, providing not only funding, naming rights, and apparel and equipment support for its climbing and scientific expeditions, but also aiming to promote the society’s development within China’s amateur mountaineering and alpine science fields through this partnership. This collaboration also helps promote the CAMEL brand culture, introducing more people to the society, the brand, and the outdoor lifestyle.
Currently, CAMEL is preparing custom gear exclusively for Peking University students. It is foreseeable that the Peking University Mountain Eagle Society will showcase even more exciting outdoor activities in the future.