For many, 2023 may not be a sunny year.
As Southern Weekly's New Year's message said, in the past year, the changes in a century have continued to evolve at a rapid pace, and the future is full of unknowns and confusions.
Confusion and non-confusion are always refreshing the border, and action is the only way to cross.
There is a lot of confusion and confusion, but life does not stop advancing, time flies like a white horse, we can only grasp the present moment and create something that can stay.
Looking back on the past year, the outdoor industry has mixed joys and sorrows. There are many breakthroughs that are inspiring and exciting, and there are also many lives that have been lost and can only be sighed.
At the end of the year, we look back on the past and look forward to the future cautiously. In 2024, I hope that the outdoor industry will usher in more good news, and I also hope that nature can bring you some hope and healing.
When you see the mountains and rivers and the world, you may be able to see yourself from a new perspective.
Image source: Picture Worm Creative
On April 30, wingsuit pilot Zhang Shupeng successfully crossed the Tianmen Cave hanging high on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan. Since then, the history of wingsuit flying, an ultra-extreme sport, has had a Chinese name.
Wingsuit flight, also known as "close-range sky gliding sport", is similar to the principle of parachute, essentially using air flow and air pressure difference to generate a certain lift, thereby driving the taxi. The difference is that a parachute is suspended overhead and requires the pilot to pull the parachute rope to operate, while a wingsuit turns the pilot into an aircraft.
Image source: Zhang Shupeng
Wingsuit flight with the help of air flow, does not have any autonomous power, can only swing the body or use the wind to turn left, turn right, dive or pull back operation, is the closest to the bird of a free flight mode.
Many people think that wingsuit flying is extremely difficult and has a very high mortality rate, and that people who play wingsuit flying are "crazy", but in fact this is not the case. "Outdoor Adventure" analyzed in the article "Wingsuit Flying Zhang Shupeng: The Madness and Reason Behind Extreme Flying" that behind the craziest extreme sports in the eyes of others, there is training and advancement day after day, rationality that always retains a safety margin, and respect for life.
Behind Zhang Shupeng's crossing of Tianmen Cave, what we see is not only a feat, but also a deeper understanding and respect for the spirit of extreme sports.
At 9:14 a.m. on May 18, 2023, Nepal time, Chinese paragliding pilot Mu Zi (Li Shengtao) successfully took off from the South Col at an altitude of 8,000 meters above sea level on Mount Everest, and after more than 20 minutes of flight, he landed safely at 9:38 near the South Col base camp of Mount Everest at an altitude of 5,400 meters.
Muzi's flight to Mount Everest set a record for the take-off altitude of a Chinese paragliding pilot. Even if you look at the world, since the birth of paragliding in the 80s of the last century, there have been very few people who have successfully taken off from 8,000 meters - the first 8,000 meters of snow mountain gliding in human history took place in 1985, and the first flight from the summit of Mount Everest was in 1988.
Image source: Zoma
Based in Lhasa, Tibet, Muzi has extensive experience in high-altitude climbing and high-altitude flying. He climbed 5,000 meters, 6,000 meters, and 7,000 meters of snow-capped mountains step by step, trying to take off from the summit again and again, and then retreating and coming back again. He once climbed the summit of Yuzhu Peak at an altitude of 6,178 meters three times in 6 days, and finally successfully flew out of the peak with a tandem parachute.
The success of this Everest flight is a big step in the development of paragliding in China.
During the Everest mountaineering season in May this year, a rescue incident was widely out of the circle, causing a lot of attention and controversy.
The two Everest climbers, Fan Jiangtao and Xie Ruxiang, reached an altitude of more than 8,400 meters, gave up the summit, and with the help of a Sherpa guide, rescued a mountaineer Lu Lu who had lost consciousness, and the latter was a member of the Hunan mountaineering team with Fan Jiangtao and Xie Ruxiang, and the three were very familiar.
After being rescued, Lulu was confused at the altitude and even hallucinated, and did not thank them. According to media reports, Lu Lu himself has a strong self-esteem, and he doesn't know how to face such a big favor.
In short, her reaction was far below Fan Jiangtao's expectations, and after Fan Jiangtao's chat record of expressing dissatisfaction in private was exposed, public opinion criticized Lu Lu.
After being rescued, Xie Ruxiang and Fan Jiangtao promised to give the Sherpa guide who participated in the rescue $10,000 in rescue fees, but Lu Lu was not financially wealthy, and he once told others that he could only accept a fee of $4,000, which later involved the mountaineering company.
Image source: Hans
The direction of the whole thing has become subtle and complicated at this point. It reflects the complexity of humanity in the rescue incident, and is also a consequence of the chaotic phenomenon of Everest climbing, from the 13 days in Lulu to the aggressive mountaineering to the early descent of Sherpa guides, all manifestations of the commercial chaos of Everest climbing.
This year is arguably the most chaotic year for the climb to Everest. Twenty people died, and countless more had their limbs amputated due to frostbite. The sherpa guides, the lack of vetting of clients, and the unrealistic ideas of ordinary people about climbing Everest have all turned the supposedly sacred place of Everest into a commercial vanity fair.
Through such a murder incident, we should think about what kind of mountaineering we need, and how should ordinary people go to Mount Everest rationally?
Incidents of death on foot in the wild occur almost every year, and each one is heartbreaking.
On July 1, 2023, Jiang Ye, a well-known hiking enthusiast, embarked on a journey to challenge the Bogda Grand Ring Road in Xinjiang, and by July 8, his partner did not wait for Jiang Ye, who should have arrived long ago, so he quickly called the police to notify his family and contacted the rescue team.
On July 13, Jiang Ye's family confirmed that Jiang Ye had died on the 12th, the reason is still under investigation, and the specific details are inconvenient to disclose, and a young life is forever fixed at the age of 35.
Image source: Jiang Ye Weibo
Jiang Ye, a backpacker with 10 years of experience in wilderness survival, quit his job as a teacher at the age of 25 and resolutely set off on a trip around the world with his meager savings of 30,000 yuan and a bicycle. During this period, he traveled more than 50,000 kilometers in more than 30 countries. Some people who are familiar with Jiang Ye recall that Jiang Ye always brings happiness to people, and he is a pure outdoor person.
But in addition to mourning and grieving, we must also reflect and be vigilant. Although Jiang Ye is a veteran outdoor player, he has never walked a primitive route like Bogda without supplies before, and lacks outdoor survival experience.
But this time, he chose to enter through an entrance that was not open to the public and was not an ordinary hiking route. And, judging from the preliminary material preparation released on his Weibo, he did not fully understand the danger of this kind of long-distance hiking route.
Every outdoor person should always remember that travel is not outdoor, commercial hiking is different from exploration, and respecting nature is respecting life.
On July 22, a self-driving team set off from Dunhuang City on the 22nd and crossed the Ruoqiang National Wild Camel Nature Reserve without permission. On the 26th, 1 car and 4 people went missing, and after several days of search and rescue, all the missing people were confirmed to have been killed.
According to various sources, it was a convoy that entered Lop Nur, including a number of off-road vehicles and pickup trucks, and the original plan was to cross the 470-kilometer uninhabited area of the Great Sea Road on the northern route of Lop Nur, but in the end for some reason took the southern route and went straight to the Penga Wooden Monument, and only brought food and water for two days.
The reason for the death of these four people was that two cars broke down due to the wrong fuel, and the materials in the car were insufficient
Lop Nur is a dry saltwater lake located in the east of the Tarim Basin, north of Ruoqiang County, and was once the largest lake in China. In the 60s of the last century, after the Tarim River and the Peacock River were cut off, Lop Nur dried up completely, the surrounding ecological environment and wild areas underwent great changes, all the plants and plants died, and the poplar trees died in patches.
Image source: thesilkroadchina.com
Lop Nur has always been a story of mystery and horror, attracting groups of explorers to enter it, and its wind and sand have also buried many splendid legends and fresh life.
But the author feels that for ordinary people, not all mysteries are worth exploring with life. Even if you go, you shouldn't be so hasty.
At 13:00 local time on August 2, 2023 (Pakistan), after 3 days of difficult and fiery climbing, Arc'teryx contracted athletes He Chuan and Da Wei (Wei Guangguang) and climbers Sun Bin, photographers Rocker (Wang Zhen) and Griff (Guo Huixin) successfully reached the top of the Kawaguchi Tower (Trango Tower) at an altitude of 6,241 meters.
Trango Tower, also known as Nameless Tower, is one of the Kawaguchi Towers in the remote Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan.
Image source: Chu Weimin Image source: Chu Weimin
The ascent of Kawaguchi Tower is never easy, it may not be as large and elevated as the peaks of other mountain ranges, but its walls are extremely sharp, like a knife and axe, and it is quite difficult.
It is the ultimate ideal place for countless climbers of the big rock face. In 1976, several British climbers made their first ascent, and over the next 50 years, the world's leading climbers carved out nearly a dozen different routes, the most famous of which is the Great Rock Face Route, the Eternal Flame, which runs southeast of the Tower. This route is too difficult, and before He Chuan, there were only two free climbs in history.
The ascent of He Chuan's team to the summit has a great inspiration and inspiration for the Chinese climbing community.
He refreshed the perception of Chinese climbers about the big rock faces. The inspiration and achievement of free-climbers comes in large part from imagination and commitment. Chinese climbers should go abroad more often and train on a mountain like Kawaguchi Peak, which is a global benchmark for climbing.
In the late autumn of 2023, Little Yak and Xiaotong completed the new route of Jiazifeng.
With an altitude of 6,540 meters, Jiazi Peak ranks sixth in the altitude of the Daxue Mountain Range, and is one of the boundary peaks of Luding and Kangding. The climb to this peak is very difficult, the east wall is typical of the ice and snow type, and avalanches are the greatest danger. The large and steep mountain wall on the west wall is diametrically opposed to the east wall, and most of the terrain is dominated by mixed ice and rock, which attracts many people who are keen to challenge the limits to visit the west wall of Jiazi Peak.
In all the reports of the ascent, the two tops on the left side of Kako's west wall have never been touched by humans. In 2022, Xiaotong and his partner Little Yak tried to find a new route to climb on the left side of the west wall, but stopped at 5,600 meters.
This year, they set off again, taking 12 days before and after, and officially climbing for 3 days, overcoming uncertain weather, vertical ice walls, and smooth rock faces...... On November 3, the new route climbing on the west wall of Jiazi Peak was completed, and it was named "Rebirth".
Image source: Little Yak, Xiaotong Jiazi Peak Climbing Report
During the climb, they face near-vertical mountain walls, unstable rocks covered in snow, and high winds and drift snow that can occur at any time.
It is the bravery and fearlessness of these climbers that have enabled us to develop a comprehensive scientific understanding of each mountain and to build an extensive database. The climbing of the little yak and Xiaotong also added an important touch to this year's mountaineering.
The person who loves diving the most leaves his life in the water.
At 8 p.m. on October 7, Han Ying conducted daily diving training at the Jiudun skylight. At around 4 a.m., his companions found out that he had not yet reached shore and immediately called the police. After four days of search and rescue work, on October 11, the underwater robot found Han Ying at a distance of about 120 meters, and there was no sign of life. (Click to view the link of the article)
Han Ying is nicknamed the old cat, and everyone in the circle calls him the cat god. He is a leading figure in cave diving in China, having previously set an Asian cave diving depth record of 277.4 meters, just 9 meters short of the world record of 286 meters. If nothing happens this time, he will break the world record here in five days.
Image source: Han Ying Weibo
Han Ting's death was surprising and confusing. According to his experience, he should not have drowned in the waters that he was so familiar with, but the accident happened like this, and although Han Ting's body has been salvaged, the cause of the accident and the details of the body have not been disclosed.
One possible reason is that the controversy over breaking the world record interfered with Han Ying, and Dong Qian is an extremely mentally demanding sport, and any distraction and small mistake will cause irreparable consequences. Some people feel that there should be no competitions in the cave diving itself, and there should be no world records, otherwise more and more people will be distracted by fame and fortune and make mistakes underwater.
Han Ting's death is a grief and a stern warning. Cave diving, and many extreme sports are the same, is the art of giving up, Han Ying himself said, "You can give up any cave diving, but you can't give up yourself." ”
In 2023, 4 people with an average age of over 60 years old walked through a secret passage hidden in the depths of Kunlun Mountain.
The Kashtar Ancient Road was first discovered in 1865, because of its remote location, uninhabited and difficult to cross, and for the next hundred years, it only existed in those difficult ancient English documents.
On October 17, after the failure of the first crossing, Wang Tienan and others stepped into Kunlun Mountain again in the ice and snow. They often have to camp on the Daban at minus 20 degrees Celsius, walk on the edge of rocky cliffs covered with thick snow, and wade through the icy water, eating only naan, pickles, cold water and camel milk powder.
Image source: Wilderness Project
It is a road with only the footprints of beasts and rock sheep, there are no supplies, no rescue, no one knows what the road ahead is, and every day is in danger. When they crossed the last Dasaka, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt "we are safe" for the first time in so many days. ”
At a time when the spirit of adventure is becoming more and more scarce, they showed the courage and fearlessness of the older generation of outdoor people with a difficult crossing, lighting up the slightly dull year 2023. I hope that their spirit can also guide the way for those who come after them.
This year, there have been two accidents in the outdoor field, both related to filming.
During the Weihai 100 cross-country race in September, a photographer Li Yang plans to follow Ge Gelin, one of the strongest runners in the 100km class, from the starting point to CP4.
But from the beginning of the follow-up, Li Yang was in a different state, panting loudly, and when he was unwell, he still chose to insist on follow-up, and finally died unfortunately. After learning of this, Ge Gelin also chose to withdraw from the competition.
Image source: Screenshot of Ge Gelin Douyin
In November this year, Zhou Yaping, China's first female New Zealand ski coach, was unfortunately injured while skiing at Keketuohai International Ski Resort in Xinjiang and died of ineffective rescue. People familiar with the matter said that the cause of the accident was that Zhou Yaping was photographing a male skier at the time. The male skier skied in the back, and Zhou Yaping shot in front of him, and then rushed off the slope to avoid the photographer.
In such an era of crazy traffic, live broadcast and video have entered all aspects of society, and have also entered extreme sports.
It is good to let more people get in touch with these sports through such channels, but extreme sports themselves are very dangerous, how to avoid the risks caused by followers to others and themselves, and how to regulate the behavior of followers? These are all behaviors worth exploring. Moreover, the spirit of extreme sports itself is to challenge oneself, does too much filming and live broadcast deviate from such original intentions? Of course, this question is a matter of opinion.
In any case, I hope that the safety problems existing in live broadcast and filming can be taken seriously by more people, but not after paying more lives.