REPORTAGES
with temperatures of about 25 degrees below zero. The night was beautiful, clear and starry, and the sight of dawn left us breathless. As we were approaching the summit, the weather began to change, clouds covered the sky and strong winds began to blow Finally, nearly twelve hours later, at 14:45h, we reached the summit. We were exhausted and at 40 degrees below zero, due to the wind. We took some pictures quickly and began to descend. Unfortunately, the wind and the cold did not allow us to enjoy the summit much. We arrived at CII at 8.30 pm very tired, yet happy. We went into the tents, tried to eat something (which was almost impossible) and fell asleep in the sleeping bags with our clothes on. I fell asleep but woke up for a moment when my tent mate asked me to take off my boots, as I had fallen asleep with them on. It had been 18 hours of activity, and out of the seven members of the expedition, five of us made it to the top. A real shame for the two who didn’t make it, although every mountaineer knows that, on any expedition, the hard work of all members is essential for one, two or all to reach the summit. The next day, we cleared CII and went down to base camp where, at last, and after 2 days, we started to recover from the effort and began to eat more solid food. As everything went well and we reached the summit on our first attempt, we spent the remaining days sightseeing in the cities of Urumqi and Beijing. A highly recommendable trip and expedition, ideal for experienced and trained mountaineers who wish to put themselves to the test at high altitudes. Javier Perez Mountain and ravine guide
92 / SPORTVICIOUS