Two rock climbing coaches in Hong Kong, Huang Yanliang and He Shuzhu, who are over 60 years old, climbed Mount Everest and set off from Camp 4 to reach the summit on the evening of May 21, but the weather was not as expected.
In the end, the two decided to retreat more than 100 meters away from the top of the mountain, and returned to the base camp safely yesterday.
Huang Yanliang, 69, said that if he did not retreat at that time, he would not be able to descend safely even if he reached the top.
Zeng Zhicheng and his son reached the summit in mid-month: 18-year-old Zeng Langjie reached the summit of Mount Everest this morning, setting the record for the youngest Hong Kong person to summit
After more than two months of adaptation and preparation, Huang Yanliang and He Shuzhu set off from Base Camp on May 17 and arrived at Camp 4 on May 20, taking a day off to reach the summit.
If the two succeed in reaching the summit, 69-year-old Huang Yanliang will become the oldest Hong Kong person to reach the summit, and they will also be the first Hong Kong couple to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Huang Yanliang (right) and He Shuzhu left the base camp to climb Mount Everest on May 17, but unfortunately failed to reach the top.
(Climbers Facebook)
When the two arrived at Camp 4 on the afternoon of the 20th, the weather was normal.
After recharging their batteries, they left the camp at 9:30 p.m. on the 21st and headed to the top of the mountain.
Huang Yanliang said: "At the beginning, the weather was windy, but it was still acceptable, but it deteriorated along the way, the temperature dropped sharply, the whole down jacket was frozen, and the cross wind and snow cut the surface, and it was difficult to see."
Huang Yanliang and He Shuzhu climb Mount Everest.
(provided by respondents)
By the early morning of the 22nd, they were already close to the 8,759-meter-high Nanfeng, and they were only a hundred meters away from the top of the 8,849-meter Mount Everest, which can be said to be only one step away.
Huang Yanliang recalled the dangerous situation at that time. He said: "The wind speed was very strong at that time, and the big Sherpas were swaying from both sides. I estimate the wind speed was 80 kilometers per hour at that time, and the vision was blurred. The teacher also responded to the Sherpas, there were Oxygen was useless, the weather no longer allowed us to forcibly climb the mountain, and I also responded that reaching the top might not necessarily descend to the mountain. So my wife and I decided to stop the summit around 3:00 a.m. and hurried down the mountain quickly along the rope.”
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Huang Yanliang and He Shuzhu returned to Camp 4 safely at 4:30 am to 5:00 am on the 22nd.
However, the weather on Everest deteriorated and they couldn't wait for another chance.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, the mountaineering emergency support team went to Camp No. 4 and informed all climbers in the camp that they must go down the mountain as soon as possible in the afternoon, because there will be a stronger monsoon that night, which will destroy all tents in the camp, and there will be no hiding by then. The place is very dangerous.
They fell from Camp No. 4 at a height of about 7,900 meters to Camp No. 2 at 6,400 meters overnight.
They went back to Camp 2 at 2:30 am on the 24th.
Wind and weather conditions at the site.
(provided by respondents)
This critical downhill road exhausted the physical strength of the two of them.
Huang Yanliang said: "We were hit by strong winds all the way to Camp No. 2. We were already exhausted, and even almost fell into a coma halfway, and our feet were sore and weak. We insisted on resting at Camp No. 2 by will." More than a dozen ice bridges may be dangerous. The two took a helicopter on the afternoon of the 24th and returned to the base camp safely.
Visit before climbing Mount Everest:
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Huang Yanliang climbed to the top of Mount Everest on the north slope in 2011, but this time he challenged the south slope to reach the top, but unfortunately he was only one step away.
He said: "This time, I mainly accompanied my wife to challenge my long-cherished wish. I also saw the summit route of the southern slope in Nepal. The two of us took courage and realized our dream pursuit. We have no regrets in this life!"
Huang Yanliang said that if he had reached the summit one night earlier, he might have succeeded. He said, "Unfortunately, the commander-in-chief of the base camp only saw the weather forecast on the 19th and informed our Sherpas that the weather was good on the 21st and 22nd, and he did not monitor the weather every day. Change. If we find that the evening wind season comes early on the 22nd, we will rest for 7 or 8 hours in the afternoon of the 20th, and leave in the early morning of the 21st.
They are preparing to leave the base camp and return to Kathmandu. They plan to return to Hong Kong via Kuala Lumpur in early June.
Huang Yanliang sighed: "We are very old. If the chance to climb such a big mountain is slim, we will usually consider it because we really love mountains, not for fame and fortune and record-setting, but to cherish the precious process and experience of life. ."
18-year-old Zeng Langjie reached the summit of Mount Everest this morning, setting the record for the youngest Hong Konger to summit Everest | The climbing Hong Kong Everest team is only one moment away from reaching the summit. 69-year-old Master Huang: Looking forward to exploring old friends | The youngest Hong Kong person to climb to the top