Top of Everest Dreams don't stop

Source: Overseas Network

Xia Boyu is climbing. Profile photo

On the 7,900-meter snow slope of Mount Everest, a blizzard swept through the sky. The young guide suddenly noticed that a screw had fallen from Xia Boyu's prosthetic leg.

"In the snowy snow, a small white screw, which is difficult for the average person to see. If it is not found in time, the prosthesis will soon fall loose and fall off..." Recalling the scene of the successful summit of Mount Everest more than two years ago, Xia Boyu, a 71-year-old legless mountaineer, first remembered the screw that was lost and recovered.

For more than 40 years, he was finally "accepted" by Mount Everest

In May 2018, it was the fifth time in Xia Boyu's life that he "rushed to the peak". In 1975, at the age of 24, Xia Boyu followed a Chinese mountaineering team on the task of accurately measuring the height of Mount Everest for the first time. During the retreat, his feet froze to death and he was forced to amputate his legs by giving up his sleeping bag to his teammates.

Lying on the hospital bed, hearing the news that the 9 team members had successfully reached the top, Xia Boyu's tears swirled. In the darkness, a sentence rekindled his hopes — a foreign expert who came to China to teach his experience saw Xia Boyu's situation and said that if he installed a prosthesis, he could not only live like a normal person, but also climb the mountain.

"At that time, how I wish I had heard such a voice." Xia Boyu said, "When I put on a prosthesis and stood up for the first time, I decided to go hiking. ”

No matter how high the mountain is, it is not as high as the climber; the road is dangerous, and it cannot stop the brave heart. Can't climb Everest without feet? Xia Boyu did not believe in fate, nor did he believe in evil. A pair of prosthetic limbs and an ambition are the most important supports for him to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Climbing the mountain in a prosthetic leg is beyond imagination. Since there is no ankle joint, when going up the mountain, you can only rely on the "tiptoe" of the prosthesis, and it is easy to slip and fall; the prosthesis has no feeling, and can only react if it is transmitted to the waist... Compared with ordinary climbers, the same climbing distance, Xia Boyu takes twice as much time.

To this end, Xia Boyu has been training day after day for decades: starting at 5 a.m., after completing an hour and a half of sit-ups, back flights, pull-ups, and then climbing Xiangshan Mountain or taking a 10-kilometer quick hike, this is still the case today.

For more than 40 years, Xia Boyu has climbed Mount Everest several times. Avalanches, earthquakes, blizzards... He repeatedly rubbed shoulders with the god of death, and regretted missing Mount Everest. In 2014, he suffered an avalanche at Everest Base Camp; in 2015, he encountered a major earthquake of 8.1 magnitude in Nepal during his assault on the summit; in 2016, he was hit by a storm less than 100 meters from the summit and gave up the summit for the safety of the Sherpa guide...

In recent years, every time before going to the mountain, he always reassured his family that "this is the last time". Finally, on the fifth summit, in Xia Boyu's own words, Everest "accepted" him.

Inspire the younger generation to fight for their dreams

"Climbing the summit in 2018 was the most dangerous and difficult one in so many years, and as soon as we set off from Everest Base Camp, we encountered strong winds, thunder and lightning." Xia Boyu recalled.

"Because I have been taking hemolytic drugs, once there is a wound on the body, I will bleed continuously." In addition to the thrilling screws, the blood clots in the legs also made Xia Boyu walk slower and more carefully with every step he climbed.

The bigger challenge came after the rush – before I could enjoy the joy of reaching the summit, a snowstorm suddenly arrived, and there was a white expanse around me.

This time it will definitely not go down, Xia Boyu thought.

"But on the phone in the mountains, I promised my lover that I would go home safely." Xia Boyu said. So he pulled the rope that had descended from the top of the mountain, gritted his teeth, and moved down step by step. The long climb made his legs swollen, and the prosthesis could only penetrate halfway, and the movement was very easy to fall off.

"At that time, I really didn't dare to lift my legs, so I slowly rubbed down the snow surface." Coming down from a height of 7900 meters, the average person can walk for four or five hours at most, and as a result, I walked for more than ten hours. Xia Boyu said.

After successfully climbing Mount Everest, Xia Boyu's life story has infected and encouraged more people. In 2019, at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, Xia Boyu's unremitting climbing journey won the Best Sports Moment of the Year Award.

In Xia Boyu's home, there is a corner full of trophies and souvenirs, recording and witnessing his glory and busyness. China men's basketball and women's national basketball team, Chinese athletics team, Beijing Guoan football team... Many sports teams have invited Xia Boyu to share their personal experiences and encourage the younger generation of sports people to continue to fight for their dreams.

"For me, mountaineering is a goal and a dream. The attention of so many people has really disrupted my life, but if my mountaineering experience can give you some inspiration or reference, then I am very pleased. Xia Boyu said.

When communicating with mountaineering enthusiasts, there will always be many young people around to consult Xia Boyu about mountaineering. "Some people say, you are 70 years old, you can climb Mount Everest without feet, then I have no problem." I would advise them that mountain climbing is never so simple. ”

"I used to be a mountaineer and I never stopped exercising over the years. Mountaineering must be prepared physically, mentally, and financially. Xia Boyu said.

Wait for the next departure

Conquering Everest and continuing to climb is not the end of the story of "The Old Man and the Mountain".

Last year, Xia Boyu returned to the Everest Conservation Area and Everest Base Camp, but his identity was no longer a climber. There, he and volunteers collect garbage, promote environmental protection, and encourage more people to polish the sky and protect Everest. In two days, more than a hundred people joined Xia Boyu's team.

During the pandemic, China and Nepal suspended all expeditions to the north and south of Mount Everest. In May 2020, at the spring mountaineering garbage removal and recycling ceremony held at Everest Base Camp, three peaks above 8,000 meters above sea level removed a total of 3,786 kilograms of mountaineering garbage.

"When I climbed Mount Everest a few years ago, I noticed some garbage along the way. Everest will always be there, and more and more people will climb it. We can't leave a 'garbage mountain' for those who come after us, but we must create a clean environment for climbers. Xia Boyu said.

Every time he goes to Lhasa, Xia Boyu will also go to the museum to see the "Chinese ladder" he personally built - when climbing Mount Everest in 1975, he and his teammates fought for nearly a day, and erected a metal ladder nearly 6 meters high on the rock wall of the "second step" at the north slope of Mount Everest, opening the most difficult level to reach the summit.

Since then, the graben has changed its course. In 2008, the "China Ladder" officially "retired" during the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay and settled in the Everest Mountaineering Museum in Lhasa. In the 33 years from 1975 to 2008, the "China Ladder" helped and witnessed more than 1,300 climbers from all over the world conquer Mount Everest.

"Seeing the 'Chinese Ladder' always makes me feel very emotional." Xia Boyu said. In 2019, the release of the movie "The Climber" let more people know the story of the "Chinese Ladder". Whenever he talked about the climbing experience in 1975 and talked about the "Chinese ladder", Xia Boyu always had tears in his eyes.

From the first accurate measurement of the height of Mount Everest in 1975 to the latest elevation data of 8848.86 meters of Mount Everest in 2020, Chinese mountaineers and surveyors have constantly refreshed the height of human understanding of the world. As an experiencer and witness of history, Xia Boyu is also particularly touched.

"Everest measures more and more technology. 5G signal to The Base Camp of Mount Everest, beidou system precise navigation... On the issue of the height of Mount Everest, our country has the most say. Xia Boyu said.

After conquering Mount Everest, Xia Boyu did not intend to stop climbing. He set himself new goals — to climb the highest peaks on seven continents and to hike the North and South Poles. Despite the delays in the program, he is still preparing and waiting for the next departure. (Reporter Liu Yao)

People's Daily Overseas Edition ( 2021-02-10 Edition 09)