The height of endeavor

Climber, 69, conquers the world's tallest peak with artificial legs having lost them to frostbite on a previous attempt, Xu Lin reports.

Courage can take many forms and, consequently, can be difficult to define. But it would be impossible to describe Xia Boyu's exploits without using that word. Along, of course, with "bravery", "determination", "inspirational"-and any other word that describes an indomitable human spirit. At this stage any reader is entitled to ask: OK, so what has he done?

For starters, he reached the summit of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West. That could be considered an achievement in itself, but this was his fifth attempt, and about four decades after he lost his lower legs to frostbite trying to conquer the 8,848.86-meter-high peak on his first attempt. He is the first Chinese double amputee climber to conquer the mountain. Oh, and he reached the summit at the age of 69.

"When I finally made it to the peak, I was not as excited as I imagined. I was absolutely knackered, both cold and lacking oxygen, sitting in the snow. I was too tired to speak or move," Xia says with an endearing touch of modesty.

On May 14, 2018, he reached the world's highest summit from the south side in Nepal, at an age when most people are taking life easy. He blinked on the summit, wondering whether it really happened or if it was just a dream. He then realized that his years of effort had paid off, and he instantly called his wife with the news, bursting into tears.