Yesterday, the main team of the China University of Geosciences mountaineering expedition carried out a loaded uphill hike, ascending from around 3,600 meters to about 4,000 meters. All team members were in good condition and have now completed all training exercises. Tomorrow, they will leave the Tibet Mountaineering School, where they have lived for over 20 days, and officially enter “Everest time.”
Our reporter interviewed Awang Zaxi, vice principal of the Tibet Mountaineering School, yesterday. This Khampa man has scaled Everest three times and once served as a torchbearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay on the mountain. He told our reporter that every step of climbing Everest is a comprehensive test for the climbers.
Challenge one: Altitude sickness — You have to wear a hat to sleep at base camp
Awang Zaxi explained that even he, who was born in Dingri County at the foot of Everest and has lived in Lhasa for years, still experiences altitude sickness upon arriving at Everest Base Camp. “The main symptom is a headache, worst during the early hours of the morning. So you must wear a hat to sleep to protect against cold winds,” said Awang Zaxi. The Everest region is highly prone to oxygen deprivation. Climbers often need supplemental oxygen when reaching altitudes above 8,300 meters. In such low-oxygen conditions, hallucinations are common and memory declines. At the 8,844.43-meter summit of Everest, the oxygen level is less than one-third that of sea level, and without supplemental oxygen, a person’s cognitive function is comparable to that of a 10-year-old child.
Challenge two: Weather — Buying weather forecasts can cost tens of thousands of yuan
Dong Fan, the overall commander of the CUG mountaineering team, has always stressed the importance of weather: “Mountain climbing is a job that depends entirely on the weather!” Awang Zaxi also noted that the weather in the Everest area is highly changeable. In the event of a blizzard, not only is reaching the summit impossible, but it also endangers the lives of climbers. “Generally speaking, each country’s mountaineering team sets up camp at base camp and buys its own country’s weather forecast. Then they communicate with each other and relay the information to summit assault team members via walkie-talkies and other means,” revealed Awang Zaxi. Due to the difficulty of forecasting, the price is naturally high — half a day’s forecast can cost several thousand yuan, and climbing Everest may require spending tens of thousands of yuan just “to buy the weather.”
Challenge three: The “Second Step” climb — known as the “Gateway to Hell”
So far, there are 19 routes to climb Everest. The CUG mountaineering team chose the traditional north ridge route. “The Second Step of Everest, at 8,700 meters, is an almost vertical 4-meter cliff,” introduced Awang Zaxi. It is the final barrier on the north side before the summit and is also known as the “Gateway to Hell.”
In 1975, Chinese climbers installed the “China Ladder” at the Second Step, which more than 1,300 people from around the world have used to successfully reach the summit. In 2008, after the Olympic torch relay on Everest, Awang Zaxi and other team members climbed up again to replace the “China Ladder.”
Despite the help of the ladder, the climb remains quite difficult: the ladder is set at a 90-degree angle, and due to waiting in line to use it, climbers often have to wait for over an hour, which greatly increases the risk of frostbite. “So, you also have to start your summit attempt early — preferably setting off from the assault camp at 8,300 meters around 2 or 3 in the morning.”