A Sino-Tanzanian mountaineering team encountered the worst storm on Mount Kilimanjaro in 20 years during a climb to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Liu Kun reports.

One of the unwritten rules for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is that climbers start the final section at 1 am, reaching Gillman's Point in time to catch the sunrise at 6 am. From there it takes another two hours to reach the top of the highest peak.

For Sha Lei from Dalian, the climb up to Gillman's Point was "hellish".

"The wind was howling and big snowflakes hit me in the face so often I couldn't keep my eyes open. At one point I had to pull myself out of a snow-covered hole with all my strength."

She could hear one of the climbers crying out, "I'm dying, I'm dying" - although she realized he was chanting this as a mantra to reassure himself he wasn't. With Sha's body being tested to its limits, her mind went blank. But she kept moving forward, constantly telling herself - "You can do it."

And she did, despite the fierce storm that lashed her and her fellow climbers as they fought their way up the mountain.

Wang Yongfeng, one of China's most famous mountaineers, says it was the worst storm on the mountain in 20 years; the wind was estimated at force 10, and visibility was close to zero.

"The wind and the snow felt like it was cutting our faces," he says. "I could barely stay on my feet. I wasn't planning on going to the top, but when we arrived at Gillman's Point, out of concern for everyone's safety, we decided on the spur of the moment to choose five people to climb to the summit."

At 9:30 am on Feb 9, the six most experienced climbers - Wang Yongfeng, Wang Yunlong, Wang Yonggan, Zhou Yun, Dechen Ngodrup and Tanzanian team member Sassa - battled their way to the top of Uhuru, the mountain's highest peak.

Because of the bad weather, the poor visibility and the wind, which was strong enough to knock people over - even blow people away - getting back down to the camp was even more dangerous than the climb up for the climbers, who had to cling to the inside ridge and use their poles to keep their balance.

Everyone was exhausted, Tsering Tentar, who has climbed on Qomolangma, which is also known as Mount Everest in the West, four times, made a grab for Zou Jin's foot as Zou stumbled and fell. He missed, but fortunately a rock ended up stopping Zou's fall a few meters down the steep slope. Tsering's face turned pale when he came to Zou's assistance, because if the rock hadn't stopped his fall Zou would have gone over the edge of a cliff. Zou says that at the time he didn't realize how dangerous it was. It was only afterward that he realized that if the stone hadn't been there, he wouldn't be here today.

Even veteran climber Dong Fan fell twice.

"My physical strength dropped dramatically," says Dong. "I relied totally on my willpower to get me through. A climber needs to go at his own pace. But a long line will slow everyone, and that weakens all the climbers, and that makes it even more dangerous."

The mountain towers over the small town of Moshi. Climbers arrived on Feb 4 to a warm welcome. The snowcapped peak of the mountain glinted brilliantly in the sunlight - romantic, pristine and mysterious - offering no hint that the they were about to battle the worst storm on the mountain in 20 years.

The Sino-Tanzanian mountaineering team was organized to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Tanzania. The Chinese Mountaineering Association attached so much importance to the venture that China's most celebrated mountaineer, Wang Yongfeng, was appointed the leader of the team.

The Tanzanian authorities had arranged for about 40 local people to act as porters and they carried the food and heavy equipment up the mountain.

"The government of Tanzania organized the whole venture very well. We were treated like VIPs," says Dong, who was the leader of a team from China University of Geosciences in Wuhan. As well as climbing Kilimanjaro, the university also did research on tectonic movements in the northeast of Tanzania and on the surge of magma in the Great Rift Valley during their trip.

After their overnight break in Moshi, the Chinese climbers began their assault on the mountain, passing through Marangu Gate.

"The Marangu route is the most frequently chosen route," says Dong. However, it is also the most difficult route for many because there is nowhere to stop and adjust to the altitude, so altitude sickness can be a major problem.

After passing through Marangu Gate, the team headed for Mandara Hut, 2,700 meters above sea level.

This area is a tropical rainforest and the team slowed its progress to enjoy a familiar feeling.

"It felt like walking through Wuhan Forest Park," says Chen Gang, a professor at China University of Geosciences.

But an hour after the team entered the rainforest, it began to rain.

Dechen Ngodrup took out an umbrella.

"That was the first time I've ever needed to use an umbrella on a climb," Dechen says.

Soon after, a storm hit the area and hail started pelting down. The storm lasted two days and the climbers' boots and clothes were soaked through. Chen had two pairs of boots and both were soaked. At night, he wrapped them in his sleeping bag, hoping his body heat would dry them.

As well as problems with the weather, the climbers struggled on a diet of buttered bread and the local corn soup, which is very salty. The climbers put up with the soup at first but eventually it made them sick.

However, despite the difficulties, the team made it Horombo Hut at a height of 3,720 meters and reached Kibo Hut at 4,700 meters on Feb 8. The attempt on the summit was made the following morning.

The day the team returned to Moshi happened to be Dong's birthday. The team bought a small cake to celebrate his 53rd year, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Tanzanian diplomatic ties and, most importantly, their successful climb. After his colleagues sang Happy Birthday, Dong blew out the candles and made a solemn wish that he could guide his mountaineering team to become the first college group to fulfill the "7+2" challenge, which is a series of extreme expeditions involving conquering the seven summits along the north-south axis. Only 12 people have ever achieved this.

Lyu Youqing, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, met the team at the embassy in Dar es Salaam to congratulate them on their success. Sanga, the leader of the Tanzanian climbers and a former ambassador to China, expressed his delight at being a member of the mountaineering team.

Contact the writer at liukun@chinadaily.com.cn

Zeng Yan contributed to this story.

The China University of Geosciences team climbs Mount Qomolangma in 2012.The team is hoping to complete the '7+2' challenge. Photos Provided to China Daily

Climbers reach Kilimanjaro's snow-capped Uhuru Peak.

Climbing at night is a great challenge for body and mind.

(China Daily 04/27/2014 page4)