A skier trains on Gangshika, Northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo: Fei Maohua/Xinhua)
Ski mountaineering
The bad night I had in my tent left me too drained to move to a higher location.
Since Gangshika was hosting a ski mountaineering event, I decided to talk to some experts about the sport.
As the name indicates, the sport combines mountaineering and skiing. Athletes make their way up the mountain with their skis - either wearing them or carrying them - and then ski their way down.
The first ski mountaineering event was held on Gangshika in 2011.
According to Zhang Yaohua, a senior official with the Chinese Mountaineering Association, there are only about 200 professional Chinese athletes in this sport and about 5,000 enthusiasts. He pointed out that it is gaining in popularity though.
After China won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, it has begun promoting winter sports in earnest. With this push, it is estimated that the number of Chinese skiers is sure to rise.
Wang Yongfeng, vice president of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, said Gangshika's abundant snow has made it a good place for ski mountaineering.
"The difficulty of the runs on the slopes can be easily distinguished by the different altitudes," Wang said. "The added difficulty the high altitude also brings some extra excitement to competitors."
"But there are risks involved in ski mountaineering, which means we have to make safety a top priority."
Ravi Everest, a seasoned mountaineer from Malaysia who has spent his life mountaineering, is new to this mountaineering sport involving snow, which is a rare sight in tropical Malaysia.
"My dream is to climb a mountain and then ski down," said Everest.- "In Malaysia we don't have anyone with such expertise.
"That's the reason I came here. So I can learn as much as possible and introduce this sport to Malaysia and Southeast Asia."
Safety comes first
Italian Andrea Gianni, who was on his second trip to Gangshika, said safety is the most important thing when ski mountaineering at Gangshika.
"Everything is natural here. There is also enough snow to wear your ski board around base camp," Gianni said. "The only thing I need to worry about is safety, in case there are potential avalanches and crevasses."
"We don't need cable cars to get to the base camp, but instead must rely on our own two feet. It's more athletic and healthy that way," the Italian added.
Bi Wenzhong, a medical expert with the Chinese Mountaineering Team, warned that athletes should pay real attention to altitude sickness.
"It is important to bring some medicine in case you catch a cold, which can quickly worsen at high altitudes," Bi said.
My second night on the mountain was very calm. The strong winds had stopped and I could see countless stars dotting the sky over my tent.
I regret that I didn't bring a camera to -capture the scene, since my iPhone wasn't good enough to capture the beauty of the night.
Walking downhill didn't take that long. As we descended that day, the snow started to melt, making parts of the road icy and slippery.
It took me only one hour to return to the start of the path at the 3,700 meter point.
Walking down isn't that hard, so you will be able to better enjoy the grandiose Qilian Mountains.
The snow white mountain tops reached up to touch the white clouds that rested peacefully among the azure sky.
Local authorities have planned to build a -cable car on Gangshika, so in the future -getting to the base camp may not be that rough.
Life on the mountain may be hard, but I am already looking forward to a return trip to Gangshika.
Rules of thumb:
1. Bring a head lamp in case you need to do something at night.
2. It's better to pair up with someone in a tent at night in case of emergency.
3. Sweating means losing salt, so make sure you bring some tablets to replenish what you lost.
4. You won't be able to get a signal on your phone at Gangshika, so you might want to invest in a pair of walkie-talkies to keep in contact with your partner.
5. Sleeping bags and a waterproof cushion are must-haves when camping in a tent on the mountain.
6. Sunglasses help prevent snow blindness.
7. Try to keep your skin covered as much as possible to avoid windburn.
