Xu Huachen was passionate about mountain climbing, and he left many photos of his climbs in online albums.
According to Taiwanese media, Xu Huachen, a senior economics major at National Cheng Kung University, along with five senior students, climbed Mount Mahanoro in Nantou on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. On February 1, they encountered heavy snow at the Ula Meng Cliffs and Xu accidentally fell off the cliff. Aerial and ground rescue teams have yet to find him, and his family and classmates are praying he will “survive this mishap.”
According to reports, “We kept telling him not to climb, but he just loved it,” Xu Huachen’s father said sadly. His son had joined the mountaineering club of National Cheng Kung University’s Mountain Association since his freshman year and often went hiking. Worried about potential dangers, he had tried to dissuade him many times. “I never thought something like this would actually happen.” Xu’s mother rushed to the mountains in Nantou to wait, weeping with anxiety, and said, “Huachen only went hiking with his seniors after the New Year holiday at home—how could this have happened?”
Nicknamed “Bitter Melon” in the university’s Mountain Association, Xu Huachen, along with Lin Zhiqian and Shi Botai—both graduates of National Cheng Kung University—Wu Yuecheng, a sophomore in electrical engineering, and led by alumna Zhan Yinru, set off from the Danda Forest Road in Nantou County on the morning of January 27. They began a 13-day “Mahanoro Traverse” hiking trip, planning to descend from Hualien County on February 9. It is a route of considerable difficulty.
At 10 a.m. on the 1st, the group reached the Ula Meng Cliffs, where they encountered snow. Xu Huachen accidentally fell down the cliff. Zhan Yinru and the other teammates immediately searched for him and called for help via satellite phone. A SAR S-70C helicopter evacuated the hikers and then transported Zhan Yinru along with Yu-shan National Park police officers and rangers to Mahanoro Mountain Hut, from where they set out for the search early this morning.
It is reported that Mount Mahanoro stands over 3,700 meters high and is one of Taiwan’s “Ten Major Summits.” Police stated that the “Mahanoro Traverse” route has been in use since the Japanese colonial period, and the conditions are quite poor, often covered with snow and ice in winter. Rescue personnel mentioned that snowfall on the mountain has resulted in poor visibility.