The alps from high up
I sometimes question my motivations to do things – Did I run the marathon in order to post on Instagram? Did I climb the mountain to impress people on Wechat? Sometimes during my long runs I would compose the Instagram post in my head and imagine all the likes I will gather. I dislike myself for doing things to win the admirations of others, but I do, until this Mont Blanc climb.
I almost didn’t post anything about summing MB. I didn’t feel like letting others know – the experience is so sacred, so surreal, that no pictures or words could properly convey my feelings. You won’t understand if you didn’t wake up at 4AM to climb. How can you understand the fun of being roped up, wearing crampons, jumping across crevasses? How would you know what is it like to sleep with 80 other climbers in one room, or sipping the Mont Blanc beer after a grueling 12h day? I desperately want to talk about the experience, but I am aware that I will disappointed by the receivers – you really have to do it to understand it.
But What I loved the most about this trip (and trips like this in general) is the people. The people here are madly, MADLY interesting. It was a group of 9 for us, and here are some brief snapshots of their backgrounds. It’s amazing how mountains bring people from various walks of life together, and how mountains bring out the best of them.
Mont Blanc from Nid d’Aigle
P and N are a father and son couple. P was a doctor, but quitted medicine and started numerous small business himself. He lost 30kg in order to climb the MB. N is a medical student at Cambridge, capable of conversing with anyone (a trait that I am jealous of!). R and D are friends and climbing buddies for decades. R is 70 years old! It’s their 5th attempt at the Mont Blanc (I am so glad they made it). A and J are an American couple on their honeymoon. M is a single woman from the Netherlands who have climbed the Acongcagua. They are at different age stages and come to Mont Blanc for different reasons. Mountaineering often involves lots of time waiting for the right weather window, or waiting to go to bed (no internet!), and the best form of entertainment is talking to the people and listening to their stories. It was a true pleasure to meet and get to know them a little.
What’s more interesting are the moutain guides. On this trip, I first learned what is IFMGA - International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations. It’s the governing body of 26 national mountain guide associations. To be certified as IFMGA guide, you have to be extremely competent in three disciplines – rock climbing, alpine climbing and skiing. The process is by no means simple like taking an avalanche rescue course or getting a CPR ceritifcation. To even enroll in the course, you need to be a very experienced climber and be recommended by respected mountaineers. The ceritification often takes up to 4-8 years. To my surprise, China is not in IFMGA, and the closest Chinese to getting certified died in a climbing accident in 2019. China, with half of the Himalaya mountain range and 7 out of 12 8000+ peaks, has not produced a single IFMGA guide.
The guides are not your local farmer who knows the surrounding mountains. They are nomadic mountain goats who know all the knots and anchors, how to assess the terrains and make decisions, and most importantly, how to have fun.
There is one of them I admire, and let’s call him F. F grew up in a small Italian mountain town and became ceritifed in 2008. He has been working all over the world then – Summers spent in New Zeland and the alps, winters spent in Hokkaido Japan. He has lived in his car for over twenty years, a necessary trade-off to be so close to the mountains. He admits that he never reads the news, knows nothing about popular culture, and is perfectly happy with being a hippie. Life is spent on uphill trail running, alpine climbing, ice climbing, rock climbing, skiing, and paragliding! It’s not a glamorous lifestyle and certainly not for most people - he admits that most of the time he doesn’t know where he will be and what he will do next week. But it’s truly free in another sense.
On the summit, gorgeous day
He is the one who short-roped R and D up the Mont Blanc (short roping is a technique to provide greater assistance to the people on the same rope team). Another interesting aspect is that, even though he has never been to college, he is very curious, well-read and intelligent. He wants to know the inner workings of a film camera, the specifics of a STD, or the similarities between Japanese and Chinese.
It’s all very fascinating to me. Their lifestyle attracts me way more than the other climbers on the team. Growing up in Beijing, I’ve been instilled unconsciously with “a typical way of living” – good grades, college, respectful jobs. I was encouraged to dream big, start a company and bring it to the IPO. I’ve always had a routine, a place to go back and shower, a plan for the next week (at least). These mountain guides make me realize that there is another way of living – to be close to nature, to sustain oneself on an ancient craft, to perfect and always maintain the physical fitness.
About 1.5h from the summit – the summit cannot be seen from this angle.
The life is not for most people, but I can see myself living it though. I’ve always been very basic – I am by no means a foodie, almost never use makeup or and take no interest in fashion. I don’t mind not showering for days and sleeping in the back of a car. In exchange, I get to climb, run, ski. I will probably get hungry for information, but a well-stocked Kindle should solve the problem.
If the physical hardship is not the problem, citizenship and legal status become the problem. I have to compromise in life, and hold a long-term goal in mind. Step by step, we will get there.
Another interesting thing is that I met a Chinese couple at Tete Rousse refuge, and they work in the outdoors industry! They both went to college, studied computer science or other “normal subjects”, but decide to work as guides and event planners. They are not necessarily crazy good (they are quite slow on the scramble from Tete Rousse to Gouter), but it’s a possibility of life.
5am scramble down from Gouter to Tete Rousse
The climb itself is a lot simpler than what I’ve epected, much easier than early season Rainier. I don’t think my effort level has passed 5/10 at any point of the climb. This might be due to my previous acclimatizing at Gran Paradiso. There are very few crevasses, the slopes are gentle. Only a small stretch is quite exposed and composed of very soft snow. If properly acclimatized, I think I can climb from Nid d’Aigle to the Summit and comeback in one day – it’s going to be a long ass day and I need to be fitter than I am now, but doable.
Overall, climbing mont blanc is a humbling experience. The panoramic sceneary from the summit will always be in the back of my mind, reminding me that there is something greater than the mundane tasks and the household drudge. My daily anxieties and concerns become so negligible when I look up at the glacier from the foot the alps. The mountain guides introduced me to new displines, new levels of fitness (run a verticle KM in 1h!), and inspired me to do much more. For some strange reasons – I am much more comfortable in my own skin, acknowledging my abilities and shortcomings, aspiring to learn new skills and being more motivated than ever.
The twilight after summit day