The continuation of the battle for the first ascent: the beginning and end of the climb to Mt. Dailin

The publication of the article "The Battle for the First Ascent: Stealing, Order, and the Death of the Mountaineering Spirit" attracted countless discussions, questions and ridicules.

What is a first launch? What is cheating? Is it the manager's laziness or the climber's assertion? Are both parties really at fault? What happened on the climb that sparked this controversy?

We are unable to draw a final conclusion on the debate over the first ascent, but in order to view these issues more objectively and comprehensively, we interviewed Qiangzi and his partner Doudou. Through their oral accounts, we edited and compiled to restore the climb. The whole story of the incident.

Perhaps you can see more different sides on the climb up "Dialin Mountain".

During the 2019 Everest climbing season, Doudou met Qiangzi, who had just climbed Lhotse without oxygen, at C3 on the south slope of Mount Everest.

Qiangzi started climbing earlier than Doudou. He started his climbing career after completing his first snow mountain in Siguniang Mountain in 2012. From 2012 to 2014, he studied a series of courses at the China Mountaineering Association, including beginner, intermediate, teacher, alpine skills, ice climbing and mountain rescue. , In 2014, he completed the first training of mountain guide of Sichuan Mountaineering Association. So far, he has 10 years of experience as a leader and guide.

According to Doudou's recollection, her guide did not wear gloves at that time, so Qiangzi took off his own gloves and lent them to Doudou's guide, which made Doudou remember Qiangzi deeply.

After returning to China from Mount Everest, Doudou was no longer satisfied with the commercial model of climbing. She wanted to experience real climbing, so she expressed her wish to Qiangzi to try to climb the unclimbed peak independently. As a mountain guide, Qiangzi devotes most of his time to commercial mountaineering, which leaves him no time to go on some more interesting climbs. The opportunity was rare, and Doudou's climbing philosophy and ability were affirmed by Qiangzi, and the two hit it off.

Starting in June 2019, the two conducted a detailed screening of unclimbed resources in western Sichuan. Every year, the Sichuan Mountaineering Association’s high mountain guide training class includes an introduction to Sichuan’s mountain peak resources. When participating in the first high mountain guide training class, Qiangzi knew that there are still a large number of unclimbed peaks in this area, and there are also people who want to climb unclimbed peaks. The idea of ​​reaching the summit.

I visited local yak herdsmen, older people, and local fellows who were engaged in outdoor work. I also checked the climbing records of the Sichuan Climbing Association. The investigation and survey process lasted for about 9 months, and finally I determined that there was an unnamed mountain. And there are no recorded peaks climbed.

Before the official climb, Qiangzi and Doudou also conducted several surveys of the terrain around the mountain, selected possible routes for a tentative approach, and used drones to fly to the mountain as much as possible to check the route. However, they were limited by the thinness of the plateau. In the air, the drone can only fly to the height of halfway up the mountain.

After submitting the information and registration fee to the Sichuan Climbing Association, in November 2020, Qiangzi, Doudou, and photographer Hans, as well as Heiwa, a climbing member appointed by the Sichuan Climbing Association, served as witnesses and supervised the trip on behalf of the Sichuan Climbing Association. Gao Min, a mountain climber, went into the mountain accompanied by several local residents.

Even in the most stable seasons, bad weather is still an important factor affecting climbing. According to Doudou's recollection, after arriving at the base camp, the snow kept falling. According to the convention, it is not suitable to climb the mountain within three days after the snowfall. However, the food and water carried by the group could not support them to wait at C1 for a long time. It would be wiser to reach the summit as soon as possible. s Choice.

At 3 o'clock in the morning on November 7, 2020, after four people simply ate a few biscuits, they began to attack the summit amidst the falling snowflakes.

Days of snowfall caused severe snow accumulation near the summit, slowing down the team’s progress, and even caused a small slab avalanche 200 meters from the summit. Coupled with the bad weather, the group traveled in groups. The pitch showed that the visibility was only about 70 meters. The summit attack, which was originally expected to take 6 or 7 hours, took the group 9 hours to complete.

At 12:10 noon on November 7, Doudou was the first to reach the summit despite heavy fog.

The Mani pile in front of him made Doudou's mind go blank - isn't this his first time? Where did Manidu come from?

Doudou recalled that there was only one question in his mind at that time: Is this a top? Is this the top? Is this the top?

Because the long climb is tiring, the rocks on the way up are covered with floating snow, and the temperature rises during the day, making the descent more dangerous. There was no time for the group to think and discuss. After staying at the summit for 20 minutes, hurriedly taking photos to collect evidence and leaving behind a bronze hand that meant "shaking hands with nature", the group was filled with doubts. Descend quickly.

"Actually, I felt a little disappointed when I came down." Doudou admitted that during the more than 10 hours of descent, doubts never left her mind.

Qiangzi said: "I didn't think too much about this issue. There is no time to think about these things during real mountaineering. I think more about the present, including how to get down the mountain safely."

The team retreated overnight, and it was already early morning when they returned to the base camp. As soon as he returned to the base camp, the first thing Doudou did was to ask Gao Min, who was staying behind at the base camp: Are we completing the first ascent? Why is there a mani pile?

Gao Min gave an affirmative answer.

Doudou, who was participating in an unclimbed climb for the first time, seemed to understand Gao Min's explanation. After a long period of fatigue and hunger, she just wanted to eat and sleep.

With the photos and physical evidence left on the top of the mountain, and Heiwa as a witness, after paying a processing fee of more than 30,000 yuan, the summit certificate was issued to Doudou.

Afterwards, with the photos of the summit sent by team members, doubts came one after another. More voices were about the first ascent with Mani pile, which extended to everyone’s discussion on the concepts of first ascent and stolen ascent.

Is it the first time?

Regarding the question of Doudou, Gao Min’s explanation is this: first ascent and first ascent are two different things. The presence of Manidui on the top of the mountain can only mean that someone has been there, but it is very important whether the predecessors reached the top of the mountain by climbing. The issue recognized by the Sichuan Climbing Association is the first ascent to the top of the mountain in the form of climbing.

Qiangzi has never questioned the definition of first ascent given by the Sichuan Ascent Association.

He explained : “Although modern mountaineering originated from Mont Blanc in the Alps, from the Golden Age of the Alps to the Golden Age of the Himalayas, each country’s management of mountaineering is different.

In France, there are no procedures or summit certificates, you just need to accept the risk; in Nepal, you need to register a license with the Nepal Ministry of Tourism, and the registration license for Mount Everest is 11,000 US dollars; in China, every province, every For mountain peaks, the registration permits for Chinese and foreigners are different, and they are completely in accordance with the "Domestic Mountaineering Management Measures" and the "Sichuan Mountaineering Management Measures".

As a Chinese climber, the premise is that you are a Chinese citizen and abiding by local laws and regulations is the most basic thing. I don’t think there is any objection to this. If anyone has objections, they can choose to modify the management measures, or not climb in China, or change their nationality, but they need to abide by the country's rules in China. "

But regarding the issue of the first ascent, Qiangzi’s team did not have unanimous opinions from the beginning. On the night when they returned to the base camp from the summit, they discussed this issue after simply eating something.

They believe that the Manidui at the summit should not be a climbing activity in terms of its size and the selection of stones. No climber would leave a mark in this way. Both the construction method and the selection of stones require a lot of effort. time to complete.

This is more like a religious behavior, so it may not be done by climbing. It may be done by multiple people, or with the help of external forces such as yaks or equipment.

Just like the electromechanical station on Mount Yuzhu, but that's not a form of climbing.

Doudou gave a more euphemistic view. During the extensive interviews before the climb, no one from local guides to herders had heard of anyone climbing this mountain. Some older people also said that they had no impression that no one had climbed this mountain. After asking about the way into the mountain, no one claimed that they had succeeded in climbing, which confirmed Doudou's judgment about the first ascent.

But she also believes that if someone can come up with conclusive evidence that she has been the first climber of this mountain, then she is willing to admit it. But she believes that it is difficult to obtain conclusive evidence, pictures can be post-processed, and GPS tracks can be faked. Along the way they found no trace of anyone climbing.

Regarding the definition of first climb, Qiangzi’s understanding is that from the perspective of one’s own climbing, for a person, any mountain he climbs for the first time is his first climb. From a very pure perspective, whoever goes up first is a first ascent. Is there someone on duty 24 hours a day on any mountain to make sure it has been climbed? So this cannot be completely determined.

"We are now engaged in the mountaineering industry. The industry has its own industry standards. It is a mountaineering activity for the purpose of mountaineering. I did not say it was the first mountaineering for other purposes. As an industry association, we only It can assess the behavior of the industry itself (assessment of performance is legal and compliant). I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, because whether it is an industry association or a government department, the premise is that it is legal and compliant. The results will be determined under certain circumstances,” Qiangzi said.

For Hadron, the first climb is not important, the important thing is to try the unclimbed peak.

This is a spirit of adventure that keeps you curious about the world and prevents you from losing your original intention due to frequent commercial mountaineering. He believes he will also find more time to attempt unclimbed climbs in the future.

Pay money, or log in secretly?

When it comes to the registration fee for climbing permits, both Qiangzi and Doudou said that a certain fee is required. Neither of them revealed the specific price, but said that the Sichuan Mountaineering Association has clear regulations on mountaineering permits. Different service fees are charged for different peak heights. A total of about 30,000 yuan was paid for this activity.

Doudou said that she used to not like to abide by the rules. She thought that the mountain was there, so why did she have to pay a fee to climb it. But gradually she gained some influence in the public eye, and had the experience of losing a partner, and she had a new perspective on the matter.

Now she thinks it is inappropriate to log in secretly.

"The scariest thing is not having rules," she said.

But Qiangzi also said: "I have no right to express any opinion on such behavior as sneak climbing, just like you cannot deprive anyone of the right to climb. I am a climber, so I just do my best and abide by the rules. The country still has There are so many laws, but aren’t there people who violate them?”

In the face of overwhelming doubts on the Internet, Qiangzi said: "If there is any controversy, let it be controversial. Everyone has a mouth, and public opinion is uncontrollable. I don't think it has any impact on me. I am now preparing to climb Mount Everest in Nepal. In my opinion, the articles published before are just after-dinner topics.

The impact on me is nothing more than drinking a cup of coffee and thinking about why everyone is so idle, so many important things have not been done, and so many mountains have not been climbed. It is very difficult for people to be able to take good care of themselves in this life. What does other people's climbing have to do with you? Instead of strangers giving you objections to change and influence your decisions and things that feel meaningful. I won’t let other people’s preferences kidnap my decision or change my direction. "

He added at the end: "There is a world in the heart, and many doubts are just a drop in the ocean."

Picture source for this article: Qiangzi, Doudou Moments

(The above content and opinions are from Qiangzi and Doudou’s own narrations, compiled by Outdoor Adventure, and do not represent the views of the "Outdoor Adventure" platform.)