Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Chapter 420: Chapter 418: The Lost Souls under Lhotse Wall

May 8th.

Bi Fang woke up at Camp Two, and even with the shelter of the rock walls, his body was already piled with snow. He removed his mask to shake off the ice crystals that scattered in the wind, sat leaning on the ground, and pulled out two Energy Bars for breakfast.

Just then, his phone vibrated. It was Yao Jun calling.

Bi Fang took off his gloves to answer and asked as he ate, “What’s up?”

“The weather bureau’s forecast is out: from the 10th to the 14th, they say that’s the best window for summiting!”

“Not bad.”

At least there were five more days.

That was enough.

Bi Fang wasn’t too disappointed by this news, as it wasn’t far off his expectations. Under normal training conditions, this time wouldn’t be sufficient, but Bi Fang didn’t plan to train in the conventional way of going up and down three times.

Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. He planned to reach Camp Three in one go today and then acclimatize to the environment.

After ending the call, Bi Fang silently started the live stream.

The audience waiting in front of their computers and phones only saw a flash of a black screen before a blizzard filled their view.

[He’s live, he’s live!]

[Is he going to Camp Three today?]

[Master Fang makes a shining entrance!]

[Pepe Shrimp kicking it up a notch with 1000 fishballs for the host—Charge!]

[Liang Feifan delivers 10 rockets to the host—Reach the top quickly!]

[Just started and already seeing whales, I’m so jealous]

In response to the barrage of comments and gifts, Bi Fang expressed his thanks once again, but he didn’t dwell on it for long. He soon got back to the matter at hand, stood up, shook off the snow on him, and moved deeper into the valley.

The valley was incredibly deep, and while many people might never have climbed a big mountain, the sheer size of Mount Everest was greater than most can imagine. To have a valley that’s kilometers long at just 6,400 meters elevation was a testament to the mighty power of Nature.

By now, the oxygen levels were extremely low, and a normal person would almost certainly need an oxygen bottle just to be here, constantly reminding themselves to regulate their breathing. At this altitude, movements become slower, and each kick into the hard icy snow seemed to use all of one’s primordial strength, hardly any different than a sloth’s pace.

Even Bi Fang began to feel the discomfort in his breathing upon reaching this point. Fortunately, having navigated through so many dangerous environments before, Bi Fang’s balanced physique allowed him to adapt incredibly well. After walking for a while, the discomfort gradually faded away.

“Psychology has a concept called ‘flow,’ which is when a person becomes fully immersed in an activity, they experience a high level of pleasure and fulfillment, and during this process, they forget the passage of time.

If you’re feeling empty, anxious, or even physically unwell, go do something that gets you into that state. It will bring you pleasure, just like when I’m absorbed in mountain climbing.”

The cold wind howled through the narrow valley, and it took about an hour for Bi Fang to arrive at the base of the Lhotse Wall—an 800-meter ascent that meant relatively steep slopes, averaging over 40 degrees, with the steepest parts around 60 degrees.

Beyond the steepness, the Lhotse Wall was a mix of ice and snow, with many areas covered in hard ice. This hard ice is formed when intense sunlight during the day melts the snow, and then at night, the temperatures drop and the water freezes over again. This cycle leads to very hard ice that is difficult to kick into or to anchor an ice axe into, which means more effort and energy are required.

At that moment, Bi Fang took out his rope and ice axe, ready to climb upwards.

Before coming here, Bi Fang had introduced the Lhotse Wall, but the steepness of the ice wall might seem like just a concept, especially since many viewers didn’t feel much when hearing about it—fifty to sixty degrees was merely a number.

But now, as Bi Fang stood below the Lhotse Wall looking up, many people’s mouths hung open in awe.

Is this what they call a slope?

[This is fifty to sixty degrees? Are you sure it’s not ninety degrees?]

[Indeed it is, but the visual impact is too strong.]

[Can you even climb this?]

[Of course you can climb it, otherwise how would you reach the summit?]

“Indeed you can climb it, but the danger is also very high,” Bi Fang exhaled a puff of warm air, acknowledging that there was no way to be fully confident, especially when climbing alone.

Normally, Mount Everest climbs are a team effort. If the team is professional, the efficiency is higher. For instance, a slope like this one would require the setting up of ropes.

Nails would be hammered into the rock or ice wall, then ropes would be hung for protection, using them to ascend bit by bit in a repetitive, laborious process.

Alone, the efficiency would drop significantly, and the climb would be much more dangerous.

Even the climbing machine had lost his grip and fallen off a cliff, tragically losing his life.

Don’t misunderstand; the climbing machine is not an actual machine, but a person, Ueli Steck.

“Ueli was one of the greatest climbers of his era, a two-time Piolet d’Or winner, famous for his solo speed climbs. He completed a grand slam of the Three Great North Faces of the Alps—Eiger, Grandes Jorasses, Matterhorn—all in under two and a half hours, even down to two hours. These three records made Ueli widely known as the ‘Swiss Machine’.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“In 62 days, Ueli climbed all 82 peaks above 4000 meters in the Alps region, becoming the king of Alpine climbing. Besides, he pioneered a new route on the north face of Tengkampoche Peak, earning a Piolet d’Or, and in ’13 soloed the south face of Annapurna Peak to win another Piolet d’Or. In ’09 he soloed K2 and Makalu, in 2011 he completed Shishapangma in 10 hours and 30 minutes, and in 2012, he summited Mount Everest without oxygen.”

A series of accomplishments left the audience dizzy, many of whom had never even heard of most of these mountains, but they understood one thing: this was a major figure, a pivotal heavyweight in the mountaineering world.

Unfortunately, Bi Fang’s tone changed, revealing regret, “Ueli’s two Piolet d’Or climbs were both accomplished in the Himalayas, and in the end, he met his demise on the Lhotse Wall. The Himalayas made Ueli into the legend he was, and they also became his final resting place.”

Indeed, Ueli had perished right there on the Lhotse Wall in front of Bi Fang.

In ’17, a significant avalanche occurred on the western side of the southern face of Lhotse Peak, but it didn’t threaten the climbing route of the Khumbu Glacier, so many people overlooked it. After all, small avalanches are a common occurrence on Mount Everest.

However, just half an hour later, base camp received the devastating news that “Ueli has suffered a fall on Nuzi Peak, and his body is shattered.”

In the world of mountaineering, there are many ways to prove one’s ability, among which the most remarkable are: solo summits, oxygen-free ascents, pioneering new routes, and speed climbing.

Completing any one of these feats on any challenging mountain would make one’s name in the mountaineering community.

Bi Fang’s current attempt was a solo, oxygen-free climb.

Though this was an achievement even Ueli himself hadn’t attained, the sheer list of his accomplishments was enough to prove the brilliance of this climbing machine. The aura of a lone wolf, an oxygen-free climber, the master of speed climbing, had already convinced the public that the ‘Swiss Machine’ was ‘capable of anything,’ but still, he died at the foot of the Lhotse Wall.

Thinking about this, a shiver ran through the audience.