71-year-old man reaches peak of Haba mountain

June 26 is the day Yang Xiaobiao will never forget. Born in 1950 in Kunming, he is the founder of the “One Hundred Marathon Running Club”.

On that day, he and seven other companions succeeded in reaching the summit, setting the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit of the Haba Snow Mountain.

The 5,396-meter snow mountain rises on the northwest side of Tiger Leaping Gorge in northwest Yunnan’s Shangri-la City. Standing opposite the higher Yulong Snow Mountain (5,596m), Haba is covered with snow all year round, making it a popular destination for both amateur and professional climbers.

This is an amazing trek but it is not easy for young people or even an old man of 71. Mountaineers have to be in a good physical shape.

However, Yang Xiaobiao didn’t yield in front of the challenge and he wanted to prove he could do it. He believes age is not an obstacle as long as he persists on training.

He said that there was only 5 km from base camp to the peak, but the elevation rises steeply more than 1000 meters. The most difficult section is the part where there are big slabs, sandstones and ice slopes, forcing climbers to move slowly.

At 3 am on the morning of June 26, the mountaineering group started off from the base camp and headed towards the summit. The reason why it had to be so early was because the beginning section is too steep. Many people would be scared if they saw the surroundings.

Still in dark at 3 am, the climbers couldn’t see the steep slopes. The most dangerous part is icy slope, at about 45 degrees. Without the aid of ice axes and crampons, a slight mistake could lead to a slip accident.

Thankfully, everyone made it to the top of the mountain with no trouble.

Reporting by Xie Liming (Kaiping News); Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi