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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 11, 2009 - 05:33am PT
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I am starting this as a separate thread so it will be more visible. The idea was first noted by studly however, on the "Climbers Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, Wade Johnson Are Missing" thread.
Studly and Wade Icey pointed out that the Chinese consulates in America (especially San Francisco) and the Chinese and Sichuan Mountaineering Associations in China have been extremely helpful to the rescue effort and that thank yous are especially important in that culture and could go a long way to create good will for future western mountaineering emergencies in China.
Listed below are the addresses of the consulates and the mountaineering associations. Unfortunately there are no email addresses given. If you are adverse to writing a letter, just post your appreciation below and I will print them out and mail them myself.
1) Chinese Consulates
http://www.visarite.com/chnConsulate.htm
2) Chinese Mountaineering Association
Address: No.10, Zuoanmennai Avenue, Chongwen District, Beijing, PR China
Fax:(86-10)6714-4859
3) SMA-Sichuan Mountaineering Association
No.2 South Yihuan Road
Chengdu, Sichuan 610041
P.R. China
Fax:(86-28)558-8042
Thanks!
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 11, 2009 - 06:08am PT
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Sorry QITNL, I didn't mean to overlook your excellent suggestion for this second thread. You're the one who deserves credit for the idea.
Jan
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couchmaster
climber
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Jun 11, 2009 - 10:21am PT
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Ditto on the brilliant part. Include the Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff SAR too.
Nice call Studly!
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johnboy
Trad climber
Can't get here from there
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:07am PT
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Thanks to the Chinese, and really to all SAR's, at home and around the world.
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Michael D
Big Wall climber
Napoli, Italy
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:28am PT
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This is the first post I've ever read on ST that addresses cultural principles in such a positive aspect.
I'm proud to know climbers are getting the idea that we are a community of diversity, not "WE" and "THEY".
Yes, I'm Chinese. With a humble bow, and desire to meet all of you some day.
Michael
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:45am PT
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Hat's off to Studly, great idea!
I've always thought Climbers are cut from the same cloth
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:03pm PT
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Well done! This is additional proof that climbers, worldwide, are all from the same tribe. We served bear sausage the first morning of last year's International Climbers Meet in Indian Creek and I wore a "bear hat" to commemorate the occassion. One of the two Chinese climbers loved the hat so I gave it to him. I'm sure he still wears it occassionally which must lead to stories about the American West.
The AAC also hosted an International Chinese Women's Exchange last June at the Grand Teton Climber's Ranch. The rapport and good will that I witnessed made me wonder at the years of hostility and tension between our countries. The American women reported that their reception in China was equally friendly.
Climbers like Jonny, Micha and Wade have served as accidental ambassadors of good will between countries with vastly different governments and cultures. Alpine climbers have for many years been going into remote parts of countries like China and Pakistan and have helped to build bridges of understanding. While diplomacy may not have been the motivating reason behind the trips; the curiosity and the humanity of climbers like Jonny, Micah, Wade and many others have been a potent force in helping to foster understanding and appreciation between people from vastly different cultures.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:21pm PT
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Applause to all the rescue groups!
SAR teams around the world are a special lot.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Jun 11, 2009 - 02:08pm PT
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Thank you for your work to recover our brothers.
I am a Search and Rescue Team member in the United States and I know how hard and dangerous a rescue or recovery can be. The work is often under appreciated, but it matters to everyone you rescue and to their families.
I hope I never have to rescue a climber from China in our local mountains, but if our team does get called out I can say that I will gladly respond and work to the best of my ability.
Tom Woods
Inyo County SAR Team member
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 11, 2009 - 02:12pm PT
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The link seems to lead to a visa application.
Anybody get a straight email address?
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 11, 2009 - 10:58pm PT
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Ron-
It was the visa section of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco that opened on a Sunday morning to process visas for Pete Takeda and Steven Su in less than an hour with less than 24 hours notice, so a letter of thanks to the Visa Section is definitely called for.
As for e-mail addresses, I sure couldn't find any?
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:23pm PT
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I asked for email also, and this is what I was given. I think sending a fax or letter is best anyway, more formal and somehow more dignified.
To dial any of these numbers you need to dial 011 first:
Chinese Climbing Association
Beijing Office：
Tel：86-10-67143177
Fax：86-10-67144859
Rocks Climbing and Ice Climbing Department
Tel：86-10-67144857
Fax：86-10-67117809
Mountain Adventure Department
Tel：86-10-67157713
Fax：86-10-67157719
Foreign Exchanges Department
Tel：86-10-67123796
Fax：86-10-67111629
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2009 - 02:53am PT
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I agree Studly.
Formality is very important in this part of the world.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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The Adventure Film Festival Site has an article with the individual names of the Chinese climbers who helped with the search.
" On June 5 two Sichuan Mountaineering Association (SMA) climbers, Li Zong Li and Guo Jie, discovered Copp’s body at 4,000 meters between base camp and advanced base camp. On June 7, Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) climbers Ci Luo and Li Fu Qing located Johnson's body in the same vicinity. The Chinese searchers were soon joined by the teams of Americans who helped with the recovery of the bodies and their belongings.
Searchers included Sichuan Mountaineering Association (SMA) climbers, Li Zong Li and Guo Jie; Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) mountaineers, Ci Luo, Yan Ding Ding, Li Fu Qing, and Zhou Peng; and professional American climbers Eric DeCaria, Nick Martino, Steve Su, and Pete Takeda. The American and Chinese climbers combined experience includes dozens of Himalayan expeditions, multiple Everest summits, plus major Patagonian and Alaskan climbs."
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jun 12, 2009 - 11:31pm PT
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I just sent them an email. I don't know these three guys except through the press. Charlie Fowler was a pretty good friend of mine, though, and I appreciate their efforts.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Jun 13, 2009 - 12:08am PT
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Does Pakistan have such a program, or policy? The Karakorum climbers probably would benefit from such a thing.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Jun 16, 2009 - 01:04am PT
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How cool would it be to have the Chinese resuce teams that participated in the recovery effort be invited to the US to train with YOSAR or other Moutain Rescue?
It is bridge building efforts like that, that would build strong relations between countries and make miracles happen in Tibet far more then threats and saber shaking and demeaning comments.
Any chance of an invite from YOSAR to these folks? I myself would be willing to assist in providing information in the VISA process, letters of invite, etc. if it got the ball rolling.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 16, 2009 - 01:18am PT
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Studly....bridge building, letters...nailed lynne
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adam d
climber
CA
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Jun 16, 2009 - 01:42am PT
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Good idea, my letter is in the mail tomorrow
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way
climber
SF Bay Area
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Jun 16, 2009 - 04:58am PT
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Glad to see a positive post like this which promote communication without prejudice. As a chinese myself, I would love to see any effort that could help improve the SAR condition there.
Because of the nature of the interesting terrain and climbing there, we may never see a concentrated area that could develop a SAR system like what has been developed in YOS or Chamonix. It may not be practical to expect helicopter rescue for the short-term future. Nevertheless, I believe the hope relays on educating the emerging local climbing communities. Cause in China's well spread-out big mountain environment, probably the only way to get help in a timely fashion is to have a group of local climbers living in hundreds miles radius and have the proper knowledge, equipment and communication skills to carry out the rescue mission from nearby. Chinese Mountaineering Association can be a great organization in terms of organizing and coordinating this kind of effort. But flying SAR from US or Beijing to Chengdu and then taking 1-2 days drive to local town and then hours (maybe days) of hike to basecamp is probably not going to be the most efficient way for getting people out of trouble.
On my last trip to China, I saw the raise of grassroot Chinese climbing community. People practice trad climbing, trying to develop proper ethic at local crags. and the best of them are taking those skills to bigger mountains. However, the infrastructure is not there yet. I didn't see any WFR class/workshop, nor did I find any information of available Self Rescue classes. The translated literature is still limited to The Freedom of the Hills. Very few local climbers have strong enough language skills to read sources like supertaco. So, I hope to see more effort putting into helping them out. Inspire more of them into well rounded climbers who can be respected equally as their foreign counterparts.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 16, 2009 - 08:06am PT
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To repeat, the only email address we've found so far is that of the Chinese National Mountaineering Association in Beijing.
For those who don't write letters, here it is again:
cma8848@hotmail.com
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brian_the_lion
Sport climber
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Jun 18, 2009 - 10:43pm PT
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Please note that the address given in the first post for the Sichuan Mountaineering Association is not correct. I went to see them YESTERDAY and ended up walking half way around Chengdu to their new address:
Sichuan Mountaineering Association
YuHua Shangsha 5th FL
No 93 XinNan Lu
Chengdu, PRC 610041
These guys provided the lion's share of the on-the-ground support to the recovery effort and are still very emotional about the whole experience. I expressed the gratitude of our community the best I could, humble East Coast sport climber that I am, and was received very warmly.
There's only one person in their office staff that speaks decent English. If there's a strong sentiment in favor of me giving out his email address and phone number, I will. Otherwise, it might be better to make a gift/statement/whatever from the community as a whole. I am happy to act as a point of contact; I'll be climbing around Chengdu for the next three to four weeks.
~br
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 19, 2009 - 06:34am PT
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I really wish I'd seen this before I mailed off my letter of thanks to the Sichuan Mountaineering Association today! I also mailed off letters to the Chinese Mountaineering Association in Beijing, the Embassy in Washington and the Consulate in San Francisco. I have already sent and received an email reply from the national mountaineering association in Beijing.
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