Towering amid a range of icy peaks, K2 in Pakistan stands true to its name as the “savage mountain”.
Throughout history, numerous alpinists and mountaineers have found themselves mesmerised by the world’s second-highest mountain, with a height of 8611 metres above sea level, yet very few make it to the top.
Despite being notorious for inclement weather and harsh, unforgiving conditions, K2 remains on top of the list for avid climbers.
Among those who dreamed of conquering K2 is Yolanda Xue Chen.
Born in China, Ms Chen has lived in Fiji for the past decade. Last month, the 37-year-old found herself on K2, and despite several setbacks, she summited the peak successfully.
The Pacific Harbour resident, who studied international economics and trade, described K2 as her “dream mountain”.
“I think it would be all the mountaineers’ dream mountain,” she said.
“As a woman, we are doing the same as men on the mountain. I wanted to show the world that our women can be as strong as the men on K2.”
Ms Chen was also an athlete in the China Adventure Association and her interest in mountaineering grew as she took up trekking first.
It was here that she was introduced to the Himalayan range, and once she set foot on the mountains, she never looked back.
Ms Chen said the mountains itself inspired her a lot and emphasised that nature could teach one a lot. Thus, her path was then set in stone.
Once she found her footing, Ms Chen felt a deeper interest in conquering the “eight-thousanders”, a group of 14 mountains around the world which stand over 8000 metres tall.
K2 is Ms Chen’s sixth eight-thousander. Prior to this, she has summited Manaslu, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga and Everest.
And this feat has not come easy. As many avid mountain climbers are aware, the risks involved in this activity are life-threatening.
Part of what makes the journey risky is not just the health complications, but also traversing into the “death zone” (areas above 8000m), which is an area with so little oxygen that the body starts to die, and climbers’ brains and lungs are often starved for oxygen.
Therefore, many climbers choose to carry up supplemental oxygen, which is a challenge at times due to its weight; thus making every trip a gamble.
Ms Chen said when she made the decision to pursue mountaineering, the decision impacted her family a lot.
“They would worry about my safety because extreme sports are always facing death, and every time I climb, there will be teammates who leave forever, which makes my family worried.”
She does not have mobile network on the mountains for about one to two months, which makes it far more challenging for her family.
To ensure that she does make it home every time, Ms Chen trains relentlessly at home to keep herself in top shape.
And this year’s K2 expedition was no exception. Ms Chen joined an international group with members from around the globe. She described the experience as a “super marathon”, which involved rock and ice climbing.
“This year, the weather was no good; it was too windy because my group couldn’t even reach Camp One. We were waiting too long at the base camp.
“Finally, we did the summit push on July 24, and we summited on July 28.
“On the summit day, it was really a good weather. There were zero winds, and it was sunny. I was too excited when I finally stood on top of K2, especially since I brought the Fiji flag on top.
“I cried and cried.”
Ms Chen also shared that during this challenge, there were several unforgettable moments.
In one instance, she had to give her oxygen tank to her teammate because she was worried about him.
She said she summited without any supplemental oxygen and after they reached base camp following the climb, she was sick, experiencing headaches and vomiting the whole way.
“I was the only one member who made it back to base camp without (supplemental) oxygen.
“Another moment that was is really heartbreaking was that two Japanese who climbed a different route to summit K2, died.”
Such deaths, although tragic, are commonplace in mountaineering, as risks often outweigh the benefits. And Ms Chen has experienced her fair share of brushes with death.
She recounted that one of the biggest challenges she faced was in 2022 when she attempted to climb Dhaulagiri in Nepal.
“When we reached camp three, an avalanche occurred. We almost died. This was the first time that I came close to death.
“I was not even ready to say goodbye to my life and my family.”
But despite knowing the dangers that comes with mountaineering, Ms Chen remains optimistic about reaching her final goal.
“In the future, my goal is to summit all 14 of the 8000m peaks in the world. And my dream is to let people know about the impacts of climate change. Let’s protect nature and our Mother Earth.
“Where there is a challenge, there is motivation. I have always told people around me that my success is just a small part of it.
“I hope one day I can use all my experience to lead Fijians to climb the world’s highest peak. And to the women who want to follow the same path as me, I want to say that the world is changing, and women can become powerful.”
When she is not mountaineering, Ms Chen enjoys reading, cooking for her family and spending time with her pets.
“When I leave home, I am so excited because I am close to the mountains. But when I stay on the mountain, I miss my home.
“It always like this, on repeat.” || Chen conquers K2 || Fijian on K2
