On March 19 and 20, the Diyu Mountaineering Team departed from Wuhan in two batches to enter Tibet. After arriving in Lhasa, the entire team stayed at the Tibet Mountaineering School, using it as their base to conduct high-altitude acclimatization training while actively preparing all kinds of supplies needed for entering the mountains.
On April 3 and 4, all team members focused on organizing, packing, and preparing climbing supplies such as equipment and food, with some materials loaded onto vehicles yesterday afternoon. According to plan, the advance team will depart early today, passing through Shigatse and Dingri, and is expected to arrive at Everest Base Camp, 700 kilometers away, on the 7th.
The entire advance team consists of 18 people, with 14 departing from Lhasa, including team members Li Lun, Deqing Ouzhu, Tsering Dandar, Zhang Yu, Yuan Fudong, Wang Bing, Song Hong, Wen Xu, Ma Chao, as well as five high-altitude guides dispatched by Sacred Mountain Mountaineering & Expedition Service Company. The remaining four are high-altitude chefs and kitchen assistants, who will join the advance team at the foot of Everest.
As the “pathfinders” of the Diyu Everest Mountaineering Team, the main task of the advance team is to establish a safe and solid base for the main team at Everest Base Camp, Intermediate Camp, and Advance Camp. “Setting up camps is quite a tough job, especially at the Advance Camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters,” said Dong Fan, the overall commander of the mountaineering team, yesterday. “Therefore, we selected advance team members who mostly have extensive mountaineering experience and strong high-altitude adaptability.”
Dong Fan stated that the departure of the advance team marks a substantive step forward in this Everest climbing expedition.
According to plan, the main team of the mountaineering team will leave Lhasa on April 12 and head toward the Everest region.