Chapter 405: Desperate Situation?
The climbing season was cancelled.
The news swept through the entire camp like a hurricane. Many people were shocked after hearing it, some were furious, but some were mentally prepared. Although they were indignant when they heard it, they also sighed.
"The Mountaineering Association does not have the authority to make us descend the mountain and suspend our ascent! No!"
"I paid you 80,000 yuan in ugly money. 80,000 yuan! Do you know what this means? Not only do you have to pay the full amount, but you also have to compensate for my losses! Otherwise, my lawyer will talk to you."
In the camp, Bifang took off his hat. The cold wind was howling, and all kinds of quarrels rushed into his ears, making him laugh.
There are very few people like him who make decisions on the spur of the moment. If they really came here for the purpose of climbing, they should not stay in the base camp now. At least they would train between Camp 1 and Camp 2 instead of staying in the base camp and arguing with the guide.
Most of those who stayed here were people like Wang Yongbo and Yao Jun. They were rich, but when they arrived at the base camp, they found that they could not climb up with their physical fitness. Moreover, the mountaineering association promised that this year's mountaineering certificate would still be valid next year. The current quarrel was just to recover some losses and get their money back.
After walking through most of the camp, Bifang went to the toilet. When he came back, he found that the situation had not improved, but had become worse. He pointed the finger at the Sherpas, and some people even mentioned himself.
"This is a decision made by the mountaineering association. I am just a guide. There is nothing I can do about it, sir."
"Why should we cancel the climbing season to commemorate them? I paid them! This is their job! They take risks for their high salaries! If an electrician is electrocuted to death, should the whole city be shut down for three days to commemorate him? Huh?"
"Not only that, sir, the Khumbu Glacier is very dangerous after the avalanche. The original roads have been completely destroyed. No one can guarantee safety."
"Why can that Chinese guy go up there, but you can't? Aren't you known as the most professional mountaineering guides? Can't you even be better than an entertainment anchor?"
"I walked and walked, and then I went down the mountain. I will come back next year. I am used to it. This has happened three times in a row."
"Fuck you, give me your money back!"
Thais was explaining on a high platform, but no one listened to him, which made him very anxious.
Bifang sat on a rock, took out a lollipop from his arms and put it in his mouth to replenish his blood sugar, and watched them quarreling quietly. He also found it quite interesting. When Thais brought back the news that the climbing season was cancelled, his emotions fluctuated much more greatly than those of the noisy people in front of him.
The cancellation of the climbing season undoubtedly meant that all my efforts had been in vain and the mission was doomed to fail. My upper limit was locked by something called talent.
This is not disappointment, it is despair, a despair like falling into the abyss.
But when I lay in bed and calmed down to think about it, what could I do if I couldn't accept it? If I get it, I'm lucky, if I lose it, I'll die.
It’s not that my physical fitness can’t be improved, but I lack balance and can’t make progress at the same pace as it is now.
This is God’s will, what can we do?
The days ahead may be more tiring, more difficult, or even more dangerous, but where your heart leads you, nothing can stop you. If you want to realize your dream, how can you not pay a price?
It's a very simple truth. If he had just come to this world, he might have been too stubborn, but after experiencing many adventures, Bifang has been able to figure it out.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade the crowd, Tais came to Bifang with sweat all over his forehead and apologized, "I'm so sorry. I know Mr. Fang wanted to complete the record of climbing to the top without oxygen and become the first Chinese to successfully challenge it , but I'm really sorry. I can't do anything about this accident."
After chewing the candy in his mouth, Bifang shook his head: "It's okay, I've been mentally prepared for this."
This is an old operation of the Mountaineering Association. Bifang was not surprised at all. It was because he was mentally prepared that he could face the failure of the mission so calmly.
Picking up the drone beside him, Bifang was ready to tell his fans the news, but unexpectedly, his fans knew the news faster than him. As soon as they entered the live broadcast room, they asked Bifang if the mountain climbing season was cancelled.
The moment Bifang nodded, a wailing sound was heard.
[Oh my god, this mountain climbing trip that I have been looking forward to for so long has ended in failure? ]
[What can we do about this? You can talk to the association.]
[It won't be cancelled, right? ]
[Why? There are other ways to remember a person. Why must it be so crude and simple? ]
Yes, why should it be so simple and crude?
Bifang looked up at the sun and squinted his eyes. He could accept it, but that didn't mean he was willing to accept it.
"If I have to say the reason, maybe it's the conflict between man and nature?"
The conflict between man and nature?
Thais, who was listening at the side, was stunned. He didn't know why Bifang said that. Wasn't this just a common mourning? What did it have to do with man and nature?
Even Thaïs didn't quite understand it, let alone the audience in front of the screen.
Bifang pursed his lips. He didn't know whether to say it in front of Thaïs, but after hesitating for a moment, he still said it.
The Sherpa people have lived on farming and herding for generations, leading a peaceful and tranquil life. However, climbers from all over the world who fly to Nepal with a desire to conquer Mount Everest have broken this peace.
The arrival of outsiders brought a better life. Everyone has the right to pursue a better life. They want a better life, to let their children succeed, not to be trapped in the mountains all their lives, and to let their parents, wives and children have enough food and clothing. But the premise of all this is money, so the original Sherpas were very happy.
The Sherpas living deep in the mountains have no other means of making a living, and mountaineering is their most profitable activity.
But those wealthy people who simply want to conquer Mount Everest only see reaching the summit as a chance to gain fame and fortune. All kinds of garbage and corpses are left on the mountain, but they still continue to come. As for the Sherpas, what does it have to do with them?
In the grand plans of climbers, the role played by Sherpas is mostly that of obedient "servants", doing all the auxiliary work related to climbing Mount Everest and helping these climbers who have paid a high price to realize their dream of reaching the summit.
Climbers fly from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Lukla Airport and walk for ten days to the base camp. They ask for a lot and carry very little. The manpower is almost entirely dependent on Sherpas.
In the past, if one person in the team reached the summit, it was considered a success, but now everyone has paid, and the company is trying to get everyone to the summit, which means more supplies are needed.
Sherpas build camps from the bottom up, carry and store supplies for several weeks, and give guests the best chance of reaching the summit. This is an industry that requires manpower, and more and more Sherpas choose to work in the mountains.
"We passed the Khumbu Icefall on the way. You know how dangerous it is. The Khumbu Icefall is a waterfall formed by the glacier flowing out of the west valley. It is sensitive to sunlight, and huge ice blocks always fall without warning. Climbers only need to pass the Khumbu Icefall 2 to 3 times, but the Sherpas need to pass the Khumbu Icefall 30 to 40 times every season during the process of transporting and paving the road. The probability of Sherpas sacrificing their lives is much higher than that of climbers."
The audience thought about that scene, thirty or forty times per season?
Even if the mortality rate is one percent, if multiple times are added together, the probability will become infinitely high.
"Mortality is only one of the reasons. The bigger reason is exploitation." Bifang moved his trouser legs to make himself sit more comfortably and continued.
Nowadays, climbing Mount Everest is handled by mountaineering companies, and the Sherpas serve the mountaineering companies. All materials for the summit are carried up the mountain by the Sherpas.
The man, with wrinkles all over his face, only used a wooden stick as a trekking pole, and the bamboo basket on his back was filled with three large trekking bags of different colors.
The women joined the porters, tying the luggage behind them with white bags and then tying them above their heads, holding them tightly with both hands.
They climbed up the mountain step by step, carrying supplies that were larger and heavier than their bodies. Only the children were allowed to run freely.
The climbers walked in the front holding trekking poles.
But even so, their gains were pitifully small.
Even the Nepalese government oppressed them and even banned planes from carrying supplies up the mountain.
Of the 100,000 U.S. dollars in climbing fees paid by climbers, a large portion went into the government's pocket, and the other part went to the climbing company. After working for a climbing season in 2014, each Sherpa only received a small share - about 4,000 U.S. dollars.
"These are the reasons and the fuse. After the avalanche in 2014, the powder keg was completely ignited. By the way, you are also a member of the association, so you should know what happened later, right?"
Bifang looked at Tais.
At this time, Thaïs' face was full of shame.
