At 9:10 a.m. on October 9, anaerobic climber He Jing successfully reached the summit of Xixia Bangma Peak at an altitude of 8,027 meters, becoming the first climber in China to climb 14 peaks above 8,000 meters without oxygen.
Anaerobic climbing refers to the use of auxiliary oxygen during the whole process of climbing, which is a great test of the climber's physical fitness and willpower, especially in the environment above 8000 meters above sea level and the oxygen content in the air is very low.
The world's 14 independent peaks above 8,000 meters above sea level are located in the Himalayas and the Karakoram Mountains, and the Xisha Bangma Peak is located in Nyalam County, Shigatse City, Tibet, which is the 14th highest peak in the world and the only peak with an altitude of more than 8,000 meters in China.
He Jing has been climbing anaerobic since 2017. She has successfully summited Manaslu (2017), Makalu (2018), Annapurna (2019), Dhaulagiri (2021), Everest (2022), Lhotse (2022), Chogori (2022), Bloat (2022), Kanchenjunga (2023), Nanga Parbat (2023), Gashublum II (2023), Gashubrum I (2023) and Cho Oyu (2023). Xixia Bangma Peak is the last stop for He Jing to challenge the 14 8,000-meter-level peaks without oxygen.
love
8,000-meter peak, feminine, anaerobic, these three words combine amazingly. Why did you persevere? He Jing said that because of his love for mountaineering.
He Jing is a native of Gaoling, Shaanxi Province, who grew up in the hinterland of the Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi Province, and she had never seen a mountain until she was 18 years old. It wasn't until 2006 that she met Qinling for the first time. She said that looking at the mountains in the distance, she couldn't help but ask: Where is the higher mountain over there? What kind of scenery is there? The seeds of exploration are planted in that moment.
In the years that followed, He Jing was keen on outdoor sports such as hiking and mountaineering. In 2012, at the invitation of a friend, He Jing went to Siguniang Mountain, which was her first time climbing a snow-capped mountain. "When I was close to the peak, I saw the glow shining on the white snow, shining with golden light, at that moment I felt that people were so small, and the world was so vast, and it also relieved the entanglements and pains in life."
On October 9, He Jing climbed to the top of Xixia Bangma Peak.
From Sichuan to Gansu, Qinghai, and then to Xinjiang, He Jing has almost climbed all the large and small snow-capped mountains in China. In her opinion, every time she climbs the snow-capped mountain, the scenery she sees is different, and every time she starts again, she has a new mood. "Mountaineering makes me happy."
In the pursuit of love, I have also experienced pain.
On April 27, 2018, He Jing was on her way to climb Makalu Peak.
In 2021, He Jing began to challenge Mount Everest, when no Chinese had successfully reached the summit without oxygen. "Not only do I want to fulfill my dreams, but I also want to be able to do something for the country by doing something on my own." However, due to the missed weather window for the summit at that time, He Jing failed to reach the summit in the end.
One day on the streets of Kathmandu, she bought a map and hiked to Mount Everest on her own. The moment she saw Mount Everest, He Jing was no longer depressed, and cried loudly at this majestic snow-capped mountain. "The moment I saw Mount Everest, I understood that I was here for it, what I decided to do, I must give myself a chance, if people even give up the opportunity to try, it is really a failure."
On the morning of May 14, 2022, He Jing finally successfully climbed Mount Everest without oxygen, becoming the first female climber in China to reach the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen.
breakthrough
Starting from Siguniang Mountain, 5,000 meters, 6,000 meters, crossing the threshold of the 7,000-meter snow-capped mountain of Muztag, the clear mountain wind becomes cold, the air is getting thinner and thinner, and finally it is time to challenge the 8000-meter snow-capped mountain.
In 2016, He Jing's first 8,000-meter snow-capped mountain started from the world's sixth highest peak, Zhuo Oyou Peak. At that time, the standard was two bottles of oxygen, but He Jing only used one bottle for the entire climb. She climbed very fast, and when she reached the summit, the dawn sky was still covered in darkness, and she couldn't even see the towering Mount Everest opposite.
"After climbing Zhuo Aoyoufeng, I felt that my body was okay, so I wanted to try anaerobic climbing to see if I could do it." He Jing said.
Anaerobic climbing means that the climb does not carry oxygen all the time, and the weather is demanding. He Jing said that when climbing, the wind speed should not exceed 20 meters per second, the temperature should not be lower than minus 40 degrees Celsius, the temperature is too low will have the risk of frostbite, the wind speed is too high will quickly take away the heat from the body, and the lack of oxygen itself will cause blood circulation to be particularly slow.
In December 2020, He Jing climbed a mountain in the Qinling Mountains.
In 2017, He Jing climbed the first 8,000-meter-level snow-capped mountain, Manaslu Peak, without oxygen, and its climbing difficulty is the same as that of Zhuo Aoyou Peak. She always pushes her limits little by little on the basis of her past mountaineering.
Over the years, He Jing has insisted on running 10 kilometers almost five days a week, cycling 40 kilometers round trip to and from work, and regularly doing daily training such as trail running and stair climbing, so as to be ready for mountaineering. During her time in Nepal in 2021, in order to reach the summit of Mount Everest again the following year, she could barely run a half marathon every day.
On August 3, He Jing trained on foot in Wutai Mountain.
After reaching the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen, she completed the ascent of Lhotse again. In July 2022, she successfully climbed Chogori and Bloat peaks in a row without oxygen for another week. In 2023, she completed five anaerobic climbs of 8,000-meter peaks in one year. Behind all this is her careful planning of the climbing itinerary, as well as a super output of physical strength and willpower.
On July 22, 2022, He Jing climbed to the top of Qiaogori Peak.
example
In the 8,000-meter snow-capped mountain climb, there are very few female climbers in China, and the anaerobic climb is even more difficult. Whenever foreign climbers see such a woman from China ascending to the summit without oxygen, they will cast their sincere admiration for it. "Sometimes I am very proud, so that foreigners can see that we Chinese climbers are not weak."
But in He Jing's eyes, even if this achievement is achieved, it is only to follow in the footsteps of others. "I believe that in the future, there will be more excellent climbers in China, there will be more attempts and breakthroughs, and I also want to use my own experience to give more women some strength."
On October 9, He Jing (left) climbed to the summit of Xixia Bangma Peak.
"It is precisely because the country is rich and strong that we have more choices in life and can pursue what we love." He Jing said.
Will you continue to climb the mountain after your success? He Jing's answer is: of course.
"There are still a lot of challenges waiting for me, such as new routes for some peaks, out-of-season climbs, and so on." And at the moment, He Jing has a wish: to climb Mount Everest again from the north slope.
"Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of our first Chinese woman climbing Mount Everest, and in 1975, Ms. Pan Duo became the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest from the north face, and I hope I can do something to honor her. The history of Chinese climbing has been very difficult all the way to the present, and we should not forget every predecessor. He Jing said.
It's a long journey
Only struggle pays tribute to every struggler!
Source/Xinhua News Agency
Editor/Liao Yunqing
Review/Mingfang
Executive Producer/Qiao Hong