1. A fatal incident on Mount Everest's eastern slope in October 2025 illustrates the industry's problems. Zhou Xiaoliang, a trek leader at outdoor company Tububang, saw a hiker swaying on a led horse and suspected cerebral or pulmonary edema from altitude sickness, urging those nearby to make him descend immediately [para. 1][para. 2]. The hiker did not descend, continued on horseback, became disoriented, and died; he had traveled with strangers met online who left him behind [para. 3].
2. China's mountaineering and adventure industry has boomed, but professional standards lag far behind, and deaths and injuries are rising [para. 4][para. 5]. The China Adventure Association's 2025 report found at least 131 deaths, 272 injuries, and 37 missing, with incidents up 41.2% from 2024 [para. 6]. The Chinese Mountaineering Association recorded 244 injuries, 77 fatal accidents, and 36 missing; deaths rose by 36 and disappearances doubled [para. 7]. On Sept. 24, the General Administration of Sport's mountaineering center and the CMA launched a nationwide survey to identify industry risks and regulatory weaknesses [para. 8].
3. The client base has transformed. Outdoor clubs once served experienced clients in their 30s and 40s; a Sichuan guide recalled skilled early climbers who used ropes, camped independently, and even packed out their trash [para. 10][para. 12][para. 14][para. 15]. After 2023, participation skyrocketed among the young: more than 1,000 people — nearly all young — flooded the Gongga Mountains during May Day 2024 [para. 17][para. 18]. Mount Siguniang received 87,000 climbers in 2023 versus about 8,000 annual outdoor participants before 2018 [para. 19]. Aotaina Snow Mountain drew 97,000 in 2025 versus just over 1,000 before 2024 [para. 20]. Deng Feng said students were 70-80% of clients by 2024 [para. 21], and by 2025, those aged 18 to 25 accounted for 64% of adventure participants [para. 22].
4. The newcomers are often unprepared. They lack knowledge of altitude sickness, are highly price-sensitive, and prioritize social-media landmarks, good photos, and climbing medals over a guide company's qualifications [para. 24][para. 25]. Many attempt climbs in jeans and canvas shoes, spending thousands on camera equipment rather than proper outdoor gear [para. 30][para. 31]. Altitude-sickness deaths are now common: a 22-year-old died solo-climbing Haba Snow Mountain in 2024; a man died of acute altitude sickness at Mount Siguniang in May 2025; another died on Wukuchu Snow Mountain in June 2026 [para. 27]. A 16-year-old died on Siguniang's Erfeng peak in June 2025 when a guide unclipped the connecting rope and the teenager slid headfirst down the slope [para. 28][para. 29].
5. Wang Ke of the Pinglan Public Welfare Foundation notes that established commercial tour groups rarely have accidents; risk is higher for solo travelers, friends and family groups, and gatherings of online strangers who cannot identify hazards, with hypothermia, falls, and getting lost the leading causes [para. 32][para. 33]. Hiking traverses can be deadly: of five people on the Qinling Aotai route this year, two died of hypothermia and one from a fall, while four fatal falls occurred in the southern Taihang Mountains [para. 35][para. 36]. Veteran backpacker Guyue says hikers must plan backup routes, resupply points, and terrain and hazard assessment — skills social-media tourists lack [para. 37][para. 38][para. 39].
6. Professional training is also a work in progress. Zhou nearly lost a group early in his career on a Tiewadian trek when he allowed participants past the turnaround time; the descent stretched to over 20 hours in darkness, cold, and hunger [para. 42][para. 43][para. 44][para. 45][para. 46]. He now recounts the lesson and strictly enforces turnaround times [para. 47][para. 48]. Ma Xinxiang, former CMA training head, says commercial mountaineering in China has existed for less than 30 years; the 1999 Yuzhu Peak expedition (8,400 yuan) was the first commercial trip, attracting entrepreneurs like Vanke founder Wang Shi [para. 49][para. 50][para. 51]. The 2006 Advanced Talent Training Program hired French alpine guides and modeled its curriculum on France's National School of Ski and Mountaineering, but Ma calls it only an initial effort [para. 52][para. 53][para. 54].
AI generated, for reference only
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新