Peking University, May 10, 2012: Three climbers of Teachers’ Outdoor Exercises Association of Peking University (PKU) succeeded in reaching the summit of Haba Snow Mountain 5,396 meters above sea level in Yunnan Province on May 3, against a fresh gale. They returned to Beijing safe and sound on May 7.

It’s the first attempt of the climbing team of the association at climbing a snow mountain of high altitude. Accompanied were 10 former members of Mountaineering Association of PKU, who had already graduated from PKU and since have been fighting their way to the peaks of their life and career inspired by the spirit of PKU.

The journey began on May 1 when the climbers arrived at base camp of Haba Snow Mountain at 4,100 meters above sea level. After two days’ adapting, they set off at 4:30 a.m. on May 3 to climb the mountain, against the challenges of altitude sickness and fierce wind. However, due to the fickle climate in the mountainous area, the instant wind speed reached force 10 and the snow particles in the wind obstructed the view, which slowed them down and stopped them from moving forward many times.

After 5 hour’s trek in such terrible weather, the climbers reached the snow line at an altitude of 4,900 meters, only to find the weather grew worse. They were required by the local guide to abort the mission and retreat but were unwilling to give up. The team trainer Sun Bin, a former member of Mountaineering Association of PKU, made the decision that they stay put until 10 a.m. to see if the weather turned better.

It proved to be a wise decision. 15 minutes later, at about 9:45 a.m., the wind began to slow down to the speed of force 4, much to their delight. The experienced trainer Sun Bin said yes and asked the team members to put on gears for ice and safety before charging up to the top. Finally, they reached the summit at 1:30 p.m., after climbing over 1000-meter ice slope and continuously ascending 500 meters. All three faculty members in the climbing team made it and they celebrated by waving their official flag at the mountain peak.

climing the snow mountain

 at the summit

at the base camp

The three PKU faculty members of the association making it to the summit are: Wei Fangzhen from PKU Hospital, Zhao Dongyan from Institute of Computer Science and Technology, and Yang Lijiang from College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering.

According to report, there was only one climber reached the summit successfully from the Spring Festival to May 1 this year. The feat of the association lies in the scientific guidance of the experienced team trainer, the mutual support of team members and the hard work they underwent in daily training plus a positive attitude toward life and work.

Teachers’ Outdoor Exercises Association of PKU was founded in 2009. Up till now, it has about 500 members and has held outdoor activities over 30 times, including hiking, vigorous walking, climbing, camping and orienteering. It’s aimed at improving the physical and mental health of PKU faculty members through exercises and helping them enjoy life more, thus to better prepare them for the challenges of their work.