More than one year since she climbed Everest last spring, Lei is on her way to Himalaya again! This time, Lei is on a four-person team to attempt a new route on the south-west face of Shishapangma (8027m) in alpine style.

Shishapangma is the highest peak in the Langtang Himal and is located almost due north of Kathmandu entirely on the Tibetan side of the Himalaya. The peak is characterized by its long, steep, craggy southern face rising over 2000m, making it an imposing sight to all would be climbers. The Indian-Nepalese name for the peak is Gosaitan, which denotes “The Holy Place”. The Tibetan name for the mountain is Xixapangma. Its name literally translates to "The mountain overlooking the grassy plains".

It was the last of the 8000m peaks to be climbed. The first ascent was by a 10-man Chinese team in 1964 by the NW face and North Ridge and was supported with 200 climbers. Their line is now the standard route used by most climbers. Shishapangma was finally opened to foreign teams in 1980.

The South West face wasn't climbed until 1982 by a British team. Its steep and imposing face rises up over 2200m of rock and snow and ice. It now has only 4 main lines on the South west face that are parallel to one another. These routes have only seen a few repeats over the past years.

The objective of this expedition would be to explore a more direct line to the summit. The other three team members are from Romania and UK. The climb is sponsored by Li Ka Shing Foundation. Along with the climbing team, a group of 20 Shantou University students will spend 16 days at BC learning about life on an expedition as well as specific mountaineering skills.

Because of the nature of technical challenge on this climb, this is a big step forward after the Seven Summits. Excited about this rare opportunity, Lei fully understands what lies ahead. Safety first as always!  

Wish her luck and safety!