Nyima Tsering, head of the Tibet Mountaineering Team, recently told reporters that amateur mountaineering is about the experience and about challenging oneself. When fellow climbers feel they have reached their limit, they have already gained the main essence of mountaineering. One should not be overly fixated on reaching the summit, as doing so may lead to dangerous situations.
Nyima Tsering told reporters that he had worked for many years as a liaison officer at Everest Base Camp, witnessing numerous mountaineering accidents, some of which were caused by excessive obsession leading to tragic outcomes. Among them, a foreign couple left an indelible impression on him. The couple was determined to climb Everest. When they reached the assault camp at 8,300 meters on the North Ridge, they encountered severe weather. They insisted on waiting for several days, exhausting their energy and using up all their oxygen. When the weather improved, they stubbornly pushed on toward the summit.
“As a result, the woman became exhausted halfway up, suffered severe frostbite on her hands and feet, and could no longer move. She held out for a long time at about 8,600 meters. Her husband, frantic with worry, sought help from others in the team, but at that altitude, rescue was simply impossible. In the end, the husband also went missing, and only his ice axe was found.”
According to him, because the terrain above 8,500 meters on the North Ridge of Everest is extremely steep, when climbers lose the ability to move, others cannot assist them in descending, and helicopters struggle to reach this ‘no-man’s land,’ there is currently a gap in rescue capabilities here.
Nyima Tsering also spoke about the experience of Chinese mountaineer Yan Genghua. In 2000, Yan Genghua challenged Everest. The year before, he had just failed in his attempt. Disheartened, he found sponsorship and returned to Everest full of determination. When he reached the assault camp, he also encountered bad weather, and while other teams chose to descend, he refused to give up.
“At that time, we tried to call him via walkie-talkie and urged him to come down. Everyone tried to persuade him, but he absolutely refused. Later, he even turned off the walkie-talkie. We contacted him again through another team’s walkie-talkie and tried hard to convince him, but he said, ‘Don’t worry about me!’ Later, he went up into the blizzard and became the first Chinese amateur to summit Everest—but he never came back down,” Nyima Tsering said.
“Mountaineering also shows how fragile human life can be. The most deadly conditions in mountaineering are cerebral edema and pulmonary edema. When these occur, one must descend immediately and receive treatment as soon as possible,” Nyima Tsering said. “Mountaineering is an experience, a challenge to oneself. Once you’ve reached your limit and felt it, that’s enough. Don’t be too obsessed. There will be other chances to challenge yourself—life is only once, and it must be cherished.”
Nyima Tsering is a renowned Tibetan mountaineer. During the 50th anniversary of the first human ascent of Everest in 2003 and the Beijing Olympic torch relay to Everest in 2008, he twice led and commanded teams to the summit. Prior to that, he founded both the Tibet Mountaineering School and the Tibet Sacred Mountain Expedition Company, serving as the school’s principal to this day. Over more than ten years, the mountaineering school has trained over 200 professionals, including high-altitude guides, high-altitude support staff, and high-altitude chefs, while the Sacred Mountain Expedition Company has provided jobs for these professionals and helped fulfill the “mountaineering dreams” of many climbers.
Nyima Tsering said that after personally experiencing these mountaineering tragedies, he deeply felt that the Himalayas needed its own rescue system. With the efforts and support of all parties, the Tibet High-Altitude Rescue Team was officially established in 2011. The Sacred Mountain Expedition Company, while providing services to climbers, also became a main force in rescue operations. In 2011, the rescue team successfully rescued two endangered Spanish climbers. Last year, they rescued an Italian climber.
Looking ahead, he hopes that Tibet’s high-altitude rescue system can become more comprehensive, equipped with rescue gear including helicopters. Through technological advancement and the development of rescue techniques, effective rescues can be carried out in areas above 8,500 meters.