By Li Bo, Shenzhen Business Daily reporter
On the morning of May 26, Shenzhen hiker Li Xiaodan (online alias “Yi Yang Kai Hua” on outdoor activity websites), who successfully summited Mount Everest, returned to Shenzhen via a transfer in Chengdu from Nepal. To date, she is the 10th Shenzhen resident to summit Everest and the second woman among them. Li Xiaodan, a salesperson at Shenzhen Wanle Pharmaceutical Company, had just turned 40 before her Everest climb. Having acquired Hong Kong residency in 2002, she can also be considered the first Hong Kong woman to summit Everest.
Although more and more hikers are successfully reaching the summit of Everest, climbing the mountain has not become any easier. Statistics show that 12 people have died while attempting Everest this year. Among Li Xiaodan’s three Chinese teammates on this expedition, one died, and two suffered frostbite so severe that their fingers had to be amputated. The deceased, Ha Wenyi, left behind his final photo on Everest — a selfie with Li Xiaodan. Xiaodan herself was nearly exhausted and couldn’t make it down, but miraculously, she didn’t have even a single scratch, which amazed many.
Yesterday, Li Xiaodan gave an exclusive interview to our reporter, recounting her Everest summit story.
There’s also “traffic jam” on Everest
“There were too many people climbing Everest this year — even traffic jams up there!” Li Xiaodan said as she showed photos to the reporter. At 9 p.m. on May 18, at Camp 3 (7,900m) on the South Col route of Everest, Li Xiaodan and her three teammates from China, led by Sherpa guides, began their summit push. Most climbers from around the world also chose to start around this time. In fact, this year there were only two suitable summit windows: May 18 and 19 — leaving no other options. When Li Xiaodan looked ahead, she saw a long, unbroken line of climbers.
Long waiting times inevitably increase risks, and this year’s death toll far exceeded previous years. It is said that Nepal’s mountaineering authorities have also recognized this issue and decided to start controlling the number of Everest registration applicants from next year. They also plan to learn from Tibet’s mountaineering management practices. Tibet has a strict rule: those who wish to climb Everest must first summit an 8,000m+ peak in Tibet before being allowed to attempt Everest. This not only effectively limits the number of climbers but also raises the entry barrier and reduces casualties. It is reported that the permit fee for climbing Everest is $60,000 per person in Nepal, and 280,000 RMB per person in Tibet. In short, climbing Everest is becoming increasingly expensive.
Exhaustion almost prevented her descent
When Li Xiaodan descended to 8,200m, it was already dark, the team had scattered, and the wind was strong — she was swaying under its force and completely exhausted. She wanted to drink water, but her bottle was empty. She wanted to eat something — there was still a piece of chocolate in the pocket of her down jacket — but the snow on her chest had frozen, sealing the zipper. She couldn’t open it and didn’t have the strength to try. So, she sat down to rest and ate some snow from the mountain. “I know you shouldn’t eat too much snow, or your body will lose heat, and you’ll get thirstier the more you eat,” she said. “So I controlled the amount, just eating a little to moisten my throat.”
What moved her was that while she waited for someone to come and assist her, a foreign climber in his forties or fifties came down and, upon seeing her, sat down to chat with her, encouraging and comforting her. After waiting about half an hour, a Sherpa guide who had come up the mountain looking for his teammate spotted Xiaodan and helped escort her down.
It is understood that Li Xiaodan began participating in outdoor activities in 2003. On the Shenzhen Mofang platform, she goes by the name “Yi Yang Kai Hua” and is a seasoned and bold hiker. She still holds the record for completing the entire Sanshui Route in just five hours. Both mountaineering and marathon running are among her favorite and strongest disciplines. She has traveled all four major routes into Tibet and goes to Tibet every year to engage in poverty alleviation and public welfare activities.