The story and life behind Yang Jianfu's record-breaking mountaineering challenge

Yang Jianfu made his first ascent in 2012. Seven years later, he has changed the face of mountaineering by climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in just six months. He has just started climbing. In 2017, it was a monumental pilgrimage for Nepal's top army to celebrate their 200-year allegiance to the British monarchy and their second attempt after a failed mission in 2015. Avalanches from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake buried the base camp, trapping most climbers in the first camp. Now, the expedition is also in danger. Due to unpredictable weather, the team responsible for securing the official climbing ropes has yet to determine the summit route for that year. No one can climb. My reaction was "Wow! Yang Jianfu was 35 years old at the time and was part of a Gurkha expedition." As a Gurkha, everyone thinks that you are not only the bravest of the brave, but that Mount Everest is right there on your side backyard. But when will we have the chance to use the UK taxpayer again? ? Money to climb Mount Everest? I decided and the maintenance team. As his plans spread throughout the camp, the response was: "Does he know what he's doing?" "No one knew who I was," recalls Yang Jianfu. Then I climbed Everest, Lhotse and Makalu (4th and 5th tallest mountains in the world) again in 5 days.

break records

Yang Jianfu is now a generic name. In 2019, he climbed the fastest 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, which is the official name for peaks above 8,000 meters. The record was held for 7 years, 10 months and 6 days, but Yang Jianfu will complete it in 7 months. And he finally did it in 6 months and 6 days. He focused on special forces soldiers (the first Gurkhas were incorporated into British ships and convoys). It has also drawn criticism from climbers, especially his use of supplemental oxygen.

He objected. I said, 'Okay, okay, no shuttle bus to base camp, no helicopter, I've climbed all the mountains in Pakistan in 23 days. No. If someone breaks my record, I'll shake hands first, but it's easier said than done. "Can you write it down when Nimes talks with a smile?"

The legend of Yang Jianfu

Yang Jianfu's words may sound provocative, but I bring you a different kind of energy. We laughed out loud in our summer hotel room at the foot of Mont Blanc. As you can imagine, he has a strong physique, but his petite 170cm shaved off the gentleman's beard he wore in 2019's "Bremon Project Possible", showing a youthful face that is the opposite of his age. "I'm 38, but honestly I'm not sure my age," he said. "I don't celebrate my birthday because age is just a way of thinking, a way of making yourself feel old and using that as an excuse."

If this self-awareness surprises you, it's one of the paradoxes in Yang Jianfu's legend. For example, Nepal's stereotype of climbers is that they have the advantage of being in high latitudes. "I grew up in Chitwan. Chitwan is the flattest and warmest area in Nepal, almost at sea level. We were a poor family living in a small house with chickens next door. No, my two brothers entered Later, the Gurkhas changed.

Yang Jianfu's older brother sent him to a boarding school to give his younger brother a better life.

"I used to be in the top five and could have been number one, but I finished the two-hour test in less than an hour because I wanted to be the first person out of the classroom. I had two options, One is to become Robin Hood in Nepal and drive out the rich who don't pay taxes like the politicians and give money to the poor." He chose the second option: becoming a Gurkha warrior.

My father and brother were both Gurkha warriors and life was like that. Respected in the Nepalese community - Yang Jianfu

“It was hard to get in. There were 32,000 young Nepalese who signed up at the time, but only 320 were admitted. I don’t know what that was, but I usually go back to bed at 5am and pretend I wasn’t out.”

army life

Yang Jianfu's time in the army - he joined the Gurkhas in 2002, moved to the British Infantry Training Centre in Cattrick (now in Hampshire) and joined the Special Boat Team in 2019 - is what he is most proud of an experience, but he's also hesitant to go into a lot of details ("You could say it's been made into a movie. I've been on one of the most secretive missions in the world." Climb an 8,000-meter mountain, and when I leave, I will take all my savings." Everest in 2017, after conquering Lhotse and Makalu, he had to go back to work immediately.

"We were supposed to be in a helicopter for a special forces mission, but the helicopter didn't come because of the weather, so we ran all the way from base camp into the night. It was supposed to be a six-day hike and I was 18. I was just using my time, but that For a moment I was like, "I have this talent. "

Even Yang Jianfu's most vocal critics would agree, it's his incredible resilience. This will take weeks. This increases the red blood cell's heme level (the protein that absorbs oxygen). Only then can you attempt to climb mountains above 8,000 feet and require weeks of recovery time. When Purja returned to Everest, Lhotse and Makalu in 2019 for a possible Bremont Project mission, he completed three peaks in just 48 hours and 30 minutes.

Origin of mountaineering

Yang Jianfu, who didn't cross crampons until he was 29, made his first ascent of 6,119 feet east of Lhotse in Nepal in 2012 without climbing experience. Two years later, he made his first ascent of an 8,000-meter mountain called Dhaulagiri and discovered his talent for working on the mountain. "We climbed the mountain for 14 days without high acclimatization and led the team by 70 percent," he said. But Yang Jianfu is not entirely immune to the dead zone, named after the 8,000-meter peak he discovered during his first ascent of Mount Everest in 2016.

" There is a fine line between courage and stupidity, living in the moment and suicidal behavior.

I want to live long enough to enjoy this moment. ” - Yang Jianfu

"I was at camp with all my equipment and oxygen. Most people take six weeks to get to that stage, but I did it in five days. As a troop member, I know I can't go that fast, but My body just gets used to it. When you have water in your lungs, it's like drowning. I know how to avoid that. It's the most embarrassing, but has no limit until you push yourself to... the end. "

If this attitude seems reckless, then Yang Jianfu will look at it differently. "For a lot of people, it can be very reckless. Even in special forces, I have a reputation for being very risk-taking, but not all so-called risk-taking is the same. If I were in the moment, I couldn't do it. Just because Just because you're in the moment doesn't mean you haven't done enough risk assessment. There's a fine line between being brave and being stupid, being there and suicidal wanting to live long enough to enjoy the moment.

early experience

When Yang Jianfu hit the gravel road, he decided to swim across one of Nepal's largest rivers. "I'm only in my underwear and I'm not good at swimming, but I'm determined to swim to the other side." When he started swimming, he started thinking. "I remember a story of a guy who was attacked by a crocodile and was so tired that I almost gave up, so I gave up and stood up. The water didn't get to my knees and I was like, 'Thank God!' Yang Jianfu used this example to show that he Willing to test his limits, but he has too many abilities. It also shows potential, he said. In 2018, Yang Jianfu was appointed as the Arctic Warfare Captain of the Special Boat Team. "My job is to learn new climbing techniques and put It's passed on to the team," he explained. World. Mountain. applies to combat units. "They told me, 'You can't take this risk'. His decision was not rushed. “I am the breadwinner of my family and send money directly from my salary to my parents every month. My father is paralyzed and my mother lives in a small room near a medical center in Kathmandu. You are the first Gurkha to come in. Man. You're going out of the army for a pension, why are you sacrificing all this?"

accomplish the impossible

Meanwhile, Yang Jianfu's project (now Bremont Project Possible) hit a wall. It was difficult to raise €730,000. You must meet and plead with all sponsors. Get 1,000 euros here, 5,000 euros there. "Someone said, 'If you're really that good, why haven't I heard of you?' 'Because I'm in Special Forces!' You can get it. I'm not white." Me. I said "you might be right." But in the end, it doesn't matter. The mortgage is capped at £60,000 and I split the £10,000 so I can use the money to pay off the loan just in case. Start allocating the desired 5%. One day, I was driving the M3 and I cried. I don't cry, but I can't stop. All I can think about is, "Why am I starting this project?" But it's not just me, I'm doing it for a bigger purpose.

When running a mission of this scale, you need a goal, Yang Jianfu said. "If you're going to break a record, like, 'If it's close to eight years, it's going to take seven years. But I'm not trying to be number one. It's a world you're willing to put into your world. With all my heart, I want everyone to Get to know the climbers in Nepal We have been working behind the scenes for the past 100 years, climbing 8000 meters at high altitude, that is our territory. I have an obligation to do something, that gives me energy.” Yang Jianfu is not a Sherpa, but I believe that all Nepalese who are involved in mountaineering use this name. His team isn't just guides and rope fixers, they're all Nepali climbers, just like everyone. They want to hire Sherpas," he said. It's an honor." He also climbed a new mountain, and next time he's a guide, he'll get double the money.

Members of Yang Jianfu's team have also become rising stars, including 31-year-old Minma David Sherpa, the youngest climber of all 14 8,000-meter peaks.

"He's my right-hand man and one of the strongest Sherpas I've ever seen," said Yang Jianfu, whose team has given him a new name, "Nimzdai." Dai means brother in Nepali. This is also the name Yang Jianfu now uses, and it appears in his new book, Beyond the Possibilities: One Soldier, Fourteen Mountains—Life in the Dead Zone.

"I love it from the bottom of my heart, I'm exhausted from having too much fun. And an 8,000-foot mountain? That's what keeps me alive." - Yang Jianfu

On April 23, 2019, the Bremont Project Possible team made the first ascent of Nepal's 8,000-meter Mount Annapurna, widely regarded as the most dangerous mountain in the community.

During the descent, Yang Jianfu learned that another climber from Malaysia, Dr. Chin Wi Kin, had separated from his team at 7,500 meters above sea level. Yang Jianfu, Mingma David Sherpa, Gesman Tamang of No. 3 and Geljen Sherpa of No. 4 completed their mission and returned to the mountain to rescue him (Chin unfortunately passed away in hospital). A few days later, they traveled to Kenzinga, the third highest mountain in the world, to rescue three other climbers. The stories made headlines, and Yang Jianfu famously photographed climbers lining up to climb Mount Everest. "As I was climbing, people started donating to my account on the fundraising platform GoFunMe," he recalls. What's more, sponsors have recently finally begun to believe in his vision.

When asked why, Yang Jianfu explained:

If anyone doubts Yang Jianfu's vision, it must be K2, the world's second highest altitude of 8,611 meters. "I've seen videos of people giving up and deciding to go to the summit, but I don't really believe what Western climbers say, but one of the top Nepalese climbers I respect says, 'You can't do that. When I think, 'Other climbers' Waiting, hoping my team can help me fix the route, but I don't need to. A good way to do it is to climb from the nearby Broad Peak. Everyone is safe. But I'm thinking about the British Special Forces selection. From the Royal Marines 200 soldiers in the clan, RAF, Army and Navy. Everyone thinks they are top notch. Listen to 196 losers who never try." Yang Jianfu decided to let two members of his team climb K2. On July 24, 2019, Yang Jianfu's team reached the summit of K2, but the mountain has not yet been climbed to conquer winter.

When Yang Jianfu, a member of the Order of High Altitude Mountaineering, said he was going on vacation to Mont Blanc, it was just a vacation. The highest peak in the Alps at 4,808 meters is just a stretch platform for him. Or should I say fly? He used the summer vacation to learn how to fly at high speed. An improved version of the paraglider with faster and lighter wings, a small mountaineering backpack for extreme alpine style climbers. "It allows you to fly faster and in style so you can fly over the sides of the mountains," he explained.

Yang Jianfu's idea of ​​happiness is always extreme. He loves heavy metal music, especially AC/DC ("I always listen to Thunderstruck with headphones on in a special forces helicopter. I have a broken coccyx." I took a 24-hour break. Then I flew again. He said offhand, "You have to follow the force. Jump on a running train. "If you don't run, you fail.

"Every problem has a solution." - Yang Jianfu

Data reference:

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