Atunas Mountain Climbing Team became the first Taiwan team to successfully scale 8,051-meter Broad Peak of the Karakoram Range July 24 in Pakistan.
Three climbers, Chang Yuan-chih, Huang Wen-chen and Lu Chung-han made the final ascent, striking out shortly after 9 a.m. and summiting between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The peak is an important trophy on the way to completing the Atunas 14 x 8,000 Meters Project, an attempt to conquer all the world’s peaks higher than 8,000 meters, sponsored by the Taiwan outdoor sporting goods manufacturer. The team made two previous unsuccessful assaults on the mountain in 2011 and 2012.
Huang, who was second to the top after Lu, had a happy reunion with South Korean climber Kim Migon at the summit. In 2013, Kim abandoned his attempt on 8,032-meter Gasherbrum II to save Huang’s life, after the latter fell 250 meters while descending the Pakistan colossus.
“Kim is my savior,” Huang said. “We sat and chatted on the summit for a long time. It was truly a wonderful feeling.
“Later on, the Japanese team caught up with us, including Kuriki Norikazu, who has also had traumatic experiences while climbing. We hugged and wished each other good luck.”
Huang lost his left pinkie as a result of last year’s fall, but was able to celebrate the birth of his baby son after he returned. He seems to be making a habit of having children born while away climbing, missing the July 2 birth of his daughter.
“Every time you conquer a mountain you have a new child,” his teammates joked. Huang replied that his daughter gives him a new bond to life, but his will to challenge the 14 highest mountains remains undiminished.
According to Atunas public relations officer Gary Tsao, the team will challenge the world’s 11th highest mountain, 8,068-meter Gasherbrum I, June 17 next year.
Atunas founder Cheng Yu-tsai and his son Cheng Kun are both mountaineering enthusiasts and keen to reinvest company profits into building an internationally recognized Taiwan climbing team, Tsao said. (SSC-SDH)
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