Yesterday, Xu Chao, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Mountaineering Association, said in an interview with Morning News reporters that he was deeply saddened to hear about Jin Ling’s passing, and hopes that outdoor enthusiasts will always know themselves and their limits when traveling outdoors, and must not act rashly. Remember, “the outdoors are beautiful, but the outdoors also carry risks.”
Xu Chao believes that Jin Ling’s tragic accident was ultimately due to insufficient or lacking knowledge about outdoor travel, especially highland routes. Xu analyzed that traditional tourism is now hard to attract young people, who prefer “freedom, self-guided exploration, and nature,” and are more inclined to be backpackers. This spirit of free exploration is not wrong, but a common issue nowadays is that people decide to go to Tibet on a whim—just one person or a few friends calling out and setting off—without understanding their own physical capabilities or the route itself. Teams formed casually often fail to cooperate or support each other well.
He explained that experienced clubs, when organizing long-distance trips such as those to highlands, do not accept participants without conditions—they definitely test applicants, such as measuring heart rate after a 3000-meter run—and the team leaders they assign are all experienced veteran travelers who know how to respond to emergencies. In a case like Jin Ling’s, where coughing symptoms had already appeared, it indicated that the altitude sickness was already severe. For experienced travelers, the immediate response would be to descend to lower altitudes and use oxygen. But Jin Ling did not take it seriously, thinking it was just a regular sore throat, and continued the journey, leading to the unfortunate outcome.
Xu Chao suggests that in the future, when outdoor enthusiasts plan to undertake long trips to highland areas, they should first undergo continuous training to test whether their physical fitness is up to standard; they should fully understand the season, road conditions, and other information about the regions they will travel through; form small teams with travel companions; and maintain regular rest, diet, and physical condition. The most important principle is to descend immediately upon experiencing altitude sickness—never ignore symptoms such as headaches or coughing.