Scaling icy walls that send chills down your spine, with the crisp sound of falling ice echoing around you—climbing with ice axes in hand and crampons on your feet, the overwhelming joy upon reaching the summit… this is the ultimate thrill of ice climbing. From December 30, 2012 to January 5, 2013, the 2012 Four Girls Mountain Ice Climbing Festival, supported and sponsored by outdoor brands such as KAILAS and VAUDE, organized by the Four Girls Mountain Scenic Area Administration, and featuring training courses provided by Leading Climb Mountaineering School, is set to grandly take place in the Shuangqiaogou Valley of Four Girls Mountain.
With professional ice climbing training classes, challenging route ascents, beginner-friendly experiences, enriching ice climbing lectures, plus an exciting New Year’s Eve party and nightly themed “ice and wine” events, this ice climbing festival promises to be an eagerly anticipated experience. Among these, the professional ice climbing training sessions have garnered significant attention. Who will be teaching these ice climbing courses? What will the teaching format be like? And what will participants gain? The author will reveal the answers for all ice climbing enthusiasts.
Introduction to the Ice Climbing Festival Coaches:
There’s no doubt that the joy and rewards of climbing are unparalleled, but safety is also a crucial aspect when enjoying the sport. The Leading Climb Mountaineering School, which is conducting the climbing training for this event, is dedicated to providing comprehensive and safe mountaineering training courses for participants of varying abilities and age groups. Its courses are designed based on China’s mountaineering environment and tailored to the needs of Chinese outdoor enthusiasts, focusing on nurturing independent and self-reliant climbers. The instructors come from both China and abroad and are seasoned professionals in the field.
Jon Otto (曾山)
Principal of the Leading Climb Mountaineering School, a KAILAS climbing team member, and an American professional mountaineering guide who is dedicated to the development of amateur mountaineering in China. He is passionate about mountaineering education and loves to tackle unclimbed peaks. Over the years, he has successfully developed an advanced safety-oriented mountaineering education curriculum while promoting the sport in China. He has led domestic climbers in establishing classic routes on Banpo Peak and Queer Mountain. In October 2011, he successfully made the first ascent of Yangmolong Peak in Sichuan together with Liu Yong, A Su, and Tim, earning a nomination for the Piolet d’Or (Golden Ice Axe) award.
Liu Yong (刘勇)
A master's graduate in Sports Human Science from Sichuan University, a professional high-altitude mountain guide, and a KAILAS climbing team member, Liu Yong is a versatile climber. With 15 years of experience in mountaineering, rock climbing, and ice climbing, he is one of the few climbers in China proficient in all three disciplines. He is also the first and only Chinese judge in the history of the Piolet d’Or awards to date.
Bao Yifei (包一飞)
With over 60 high-altitude snow mountain climbs and nine years of ice climbing experience, Bao has summited 19 different snow mountains. He is a sponsored athlete of VAUDE, the planner and coach for the VAUDE Green China Mountaineering Project, a coach at Boya Outdoor Sports School, and an instructor for outdoor sports courses at Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus. As a member of the One Push all-in-one mountaineering team, he continuously challenges conventional camp-based approaches by completing climbing routes within a single day, promoting faster and more environmentally friendly climbing methods.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s ice climbing festival will offer a variety of suitable courses tailored to the diverse needs and skill levels of participants, including beginner classes, intermediate classes, ice climbing experience sessions, and challenging ice climbing experiences. To ensure teaching quality, each course has a limited number of participants. For specific course details, please visit the official event website at http://www.kailas.com.cn.
This year marks the fourth edition of the Four Girls Mountain Ice Climbing Festival since its inception in 2010. As another major event promoting the development of public-interest ice climbing in China, this festival will continue its efforts to advance amateur mountaineering and exploration. As a professional climbing brand, KAILAS has taken on the mission of “promoting the development of amateur mountaineering and exploration.” Since 2003, it has supported numerous public-benefit projects including the “KAILAS Outdoor Coach Development Program,” “KAILAS Climbing Team,” and “KAILAS Mountaineering and Exploration School,” cultivating a large number of key reserve talents for China’s climbing and outdoor sports industry. Additionally, KAILAS has sponsored various professional outdoor competitions including mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, and cross-country challenge races, making significant contributions to the popularization and development of climbing and outdoor sports in China.
The registration for the 2013 Four Girls Mountain Ice Climbing Festival is now officially open. For registration and more information about the festival, please visit the KAILAS official website at http://www.kailas.com.cn or follow KAILAS on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/kailas