To the southeast of the beautiful Shangri-La stands Haba Snow Mountain, which rises 5,396 meters above sea level. “Haba” means “golden flower” in the Naxi language, and its beauty and mystery have long captivated a group of mountaineers from Foshan. Last year, the Foshan Mountaineering Team made their first attempt on Haba Snow Mountain but had to turn back just 96 meters from the summit due to weather conditions; this year, they tried again and were finally blessed by luck, successfully reaching the summit of Haba Snow Mountain.
Six months of preparation behind the scenes
“Last year on the day we reached the summit, the weather was fine and sunny, but that very good weather caused the snow covering the glacier to melt, and even though the summit was right in front of us, we couldn’t make it up.” Reflecting on the regretful turnaround in May last year, veteran hiker Yang Fan let out a sigh. Yang Fan said that it took over eight hours to climb from the base camp at 4,100 meters to the summit at 5,369 meters. Even if they set off at dawn, by the time they reached the summit, it was already midday and the snow had begun to melt. So this year, they added a Camp C1 at 4,800 meters in their route planning — one to replenish energy and two to relatively reduce the difficulty of the final push.
Xue’ao is one of the few certified professional mountaineering guides in Foshan. In preparation for this Haba expedition, he started organizing as early as November last year: planning, contacting guides, upgrading gear... During this preparatory phase, one of Xue’ao’s important tasks was to “recruit” members on hiking forums, and Li Yuan was someone he personally singled out. “Don’t be fooled by his thin frame — he has strong willpower, is young, and has great physical strength,” praised Xue’ao. As a “novice,” Li Yuan, after officially becoming a team member, studied almost non-stop, completing both beginner and intermediate mountaineering courses within a month to prepare as best he could for the trip to Haba.
★ Hiker Profiles:
Yang Fan: A seasoned hiker who failed to summit Haba Snow Mountain last year due to weather conditions. He is strong, composed, and brave, and serves as the team leader.
Xue’ao: One of the few certified professional mountaineering guides in Foshan. Responsible for organization, technical guidance, and logistics to ensure the safety and professionalism of the climb.
Li Yuan: A post-85s science and engineering guy who had only been doing outdoor hiking for a month, embarking on his first long trip, first high-altitude and snowy mountain adventure, and is the youngest member of the team.
★ Reflections:
Yang Fan: On his second attempt to climb Haba Snow Mountain, he finally succeeded in reaching the summit. But standing at the top of Haba, he wasn’t particularly excited. “Looking at the distant Meili Snow Mountain and Baima Snow Mountain, I felt there were so many more mountains I needed to climb.” “The purpose of reaching the summit is to go home,” Yang Fan reflected.
Li Yuan: Every step forward was tough. Just a few hundred meters took several hours. “No matter the past or future, no matter rich or poor, noble or humble, it’s all for that moment — living in the present. I think that’s the best interpretation of mountaineering,” said Li Yuan.
Xue’ao: From organizing the first Foshan Snow Mountain Mountaineering Team, to the regretful turnaround last year, and then to this year’s successful summit, Xue’ao has been reflecting all along. Xue’ao said that this successful summit was both accidental and inevitable — accidental because the weather cooperated, and inevitable because of the extensive prior preparations, especially the training in outdoor expertise and skills, which ensured the success of the summit.
New team member suffers from altitude sickness
A sleepless night at Camp C1 and an encounter with cliffs after the Despair Slope
The team gathered on April 26 and arrived at Haba Village on the 27th. Just as everyone was gearing up to head toward the snow mountain, the youngest team member, Li Yuan, suddenly began having diarrhea uncontrollably. His pulse was measured at 120 beats per minute — double what it had been before ascending — and his blood oxygen level had dropped to 70%, a very serious condition.
The experienced Xue’ao analyzed Li Yuan’s various physiological indicators and judged that it was just temporary altitude sickness, which would recover in a couple of days. So the next day, the team proceeded as planned from Haba Village at 2,600 meters to the base camp at 4,100 meters — a process for the team to adapt to the altitude change. As Xue’ao had predicted, by the time they reached the base camp, Li Yuan’s condition gradually improved.
A sleepless night at Camp C1
Camp C1 is an additional midway station for the summit added by the Foshan Mountaineering Team this year, located at 4,800 meters above sea level. Starting from the base camp, the path is all rocky slabs, and team members can only carry 10 pounds each while hiking uphill.
Around 4 p.m., the originally sunny and calm campsite suddenly became windy, with snowflakes swirling around and howling gusts blowing through. Team members quickly paired up and retreated into their tents for shelter. Yang Fan said that at the strongest winds, lying in the tent, the wind pressed the top of the tent down to their legs — estimated to be over force 7 or 8 winds, with temperatures likely around minus 15 degrees Celsius. When they got up during the day, thick ice hung outside the tents.
After the Despair Slope, they encountered a cliff
Fortunately, the next day the weather was good. The guide told everyone, “Today we have a good chance of reaching the summit,” and the team members were instantly energized.
Setting off from Camp C1, after crossing the snow line and a large snow slope, the team arrived at a large rock slab known as the “Despair Slope.” “This is a large rock slab that is almost at a 60- to 70-degree angle. Because it’s so steep, many climbers give up here, which is why hikers call it the ‘Despair Slope,’” said Xue’ao.
After finally climbing the Despair Slope, an even greater challenge awaited them at Moon Bend. Xue’ao explained that it’s called Moon Bend because on the left side of the direction you’re heading, there’s a cliff with a drop of over 2,000 meters. From a distance, the exposed black rocks covered with a layer of white snow look like a crescent moon. A single misstep could send you tumbling into the vertical abyss below.
Called mom right after reaching the summit
The weather cooperated, and the snowmelt that the veterans had been worried about did not occur. At 11:05 a.m., Yang Fan and Xue’ao were the first to reach the summit successfully, and the “Foshan Mountaineering Team” flag was finally planted at the top of Haba. At 12:30 p.m., Li Yuan also arrived. Li Yuan said that upon reaching the summit, he immediately called his mom. Miraculously, there was even signal at the 5,369-meter-high summit, the call went through, and Li Yuan couldn’t hold back his tears.