1999 JUN The Start of My Mountaineering Life

By August 1999 I had spent three years in Beijing’s rock-climbing circle, slowly learning where technical skills truly belong. “Because it’s there” was the line of the time, and the only outdoor magazine we devoured was Shan Ye. Most of my partners were older; I often handled the tricky moves and anchors. Then a small gathering changed everything: we decided to try a snow mountain.

We chose by height—pure innocence—but some roads must be walked once. Civilian alpinism hardly existed then. My first high-altitude boots were an early SCARPA Vega from an old shop; the number of people who actually climbed mountains could be counted on two hands. We picked Bogda Peak (5,445 m) for our first attempt. After that came Yuzhu Peak, Qizi Peak, Muztagh Ata, Cho Oyu, Naimona’nyi , Everest, Kongur, Daxuetang, Que’er  —about twenty summits and attempts. Surviving the mountains felt like luck; it was the spirit of a fearless beginner, stepping true even when the shoes were crooked.

The circle was small but the stories were many. From a simple, kind world, fame and money eventually blew in—perhaps inevitably. I lived through that curve. Friendship and a clear sense of value were gifts of the pure years; being cut a few times teaches you reality. When there’s time, I look back—those details never fade. Here’s a rare clip from the camcorder era, before smartphones and action cams; finding it again feels like a minor miracle.

      直到1999年6月，我已经在北京攀岩的圈子混了3年，慢慢的知道了攀岩的技术是用在哪里的，心开始飘向远方，当时有句话挺流行“因为山在哪里”，唯一的户外杂志《山野》是取得情报的少有途径，与我一起玩耍的“岩友”都比我大许多，技术还不错的我也算是圈子里的主力技术人员。大家慢慢的讨论起想开始攀登一座雪山，我那时候还停留在三山五岳的概念，可认知里没有一座在榜山峰，除此之外就是地理知识里提到的世界最高峰珠穆朗玛8848，昆仑山脉啥的，一次小圈子的聚会，彻底拉开了雪山的攀登之路，这些地理书上的地标也算是真实的走进了我的行动范围。那时候民间攀登真的连启蒙都算不上，因为我的高山靴是老雪鸟进的第一批，第一双SCARPA Vega，登山的就那么几个人，加上我真的能数出来。第一座山选择了海拔相对低的博格达峰，5445米，用高度选山峰真的很无知，但是这种路也许在特定时期都会走一遍，后来，玉珠峰，启孜峰，慕士塔格，卓奥友峰，那木那尼峰，珠峰，公格尔峰，大雪塘，雀儿山等等二十来座，没死山上纯属侥幸，真是应了初生牛犊不怕虎，点儿正不怕鞋歪的精神。圈子不大，事儿不少，从善良单纯的环境，慢慢被名利金钱所裹挟，虽说是必然之路，我完全经历了那段时间，这种成长挺好。总的说来，朋友的友谊，正确的价值观都是纯粹时期的产物，经历过被刺才懂得现实的残酷，有时间的时候可以回忆回忆，这种事情总是记得清楚。分享一个很老的视频，那时候没有智能手机，没有便携的记录设备，还是磁带的录影机，被翻出来确实难得。