#etu2

“Aha, that’s awesome! You can do it!” I shook Yibo’s shoulder, trying to encourage him and prepare him for the next section. “You’re going to climb the best part of this route! Send it!”

“Go for it, Yibo!” Jimmy reached out and bumped fists with me.

Above us, a massive shoal rose from the belay station, traversing a smooth, perfect granite wall, finally merging with a striking fissure that bisected the rock face. I stared at it, a mix of emotions swirling within me. On one hand, I was thrilled that Yibo was about to experience such a spectacular climb; on the other hand, I felt a pang of regret, because I wouldn’t even have the chance to touch the rock face; I could only ascend by rope ahead of Jimmy.

I paused, looking around the belay station. The sight of Jimmy and Yibo beginning their ascent stunned me. I chuckled softly. "If that kid who used to work at the library could see who you're rock climbing with now, he'd be ecstatic!" I thought to myself, recalling how my boss at the music hall used to criticize me for watching too many of Jimmy's climbing videos during work hours.

I nervously looked up at the sky. Although we were still in the shade, the air was already hot and stuffy. The rubber soles of our shoes were slippery on the hot rocks, especially after the sun had shone on the face. I turned my gaze from the sky to Yibo, who was steadily climbing upwards.

"Great job, Dude!" I cheered him on. He moved nimbly upwards, heading towards the lateral route leading to the crack, the distance between his safety harnesses increasing, indicating he felt comfortable and wouldn't fall.

"Dude!" Jimmy looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise. "He's climbing the angle so fast. He's only been training for two months, and he's already this good!"

"I know, right!" I said with a laugh. “He trains with the best climbers in China, so I’m not surprised at all!” I recalled the first time I watched him climb in Moab; he easily completed some routes on his first attempt, while some of my students, as guides, took weeks to learn. “The lateral climb is going to be tough,” Jimmy pointed upwards to the end of the bend and the beginning of the crack. “Watch how he climbs.”

Yibo placed a 0.3 plug into the increasingly narrow crack, the plug narrower than a finger. “Looks like this is going to be tough!” he shouted to Jimmy and me.

“Exactly!” I replied. “Make sure your gear is secure before you go up!”

“Got it!” He inserted another plug into the crack and began to climb laterally. The crack was so narrow that it could barely fit his fingers.

I could hear Yibo’s rapid breathing as he struggled to maintain his balance. He continued climbing upwards and to the right, away from his protective gear.

“He’s really going all out!” Jimmy said, pointing at Yibo. I looked up.

Yibo placed a few stoppers, then climbed a considerable distance away, heading directly towards the crevice. His movements remained constant. He steadily climbed upwards.

“I think he’ll climb to the rest platform and then place a stopper.” I knew it was best not to shout instructions in this situation—no need to panic him. It was better to keep him focused on reaching the rest platform. I watched him shove his shoe into the narrow, finger-width crevice. His body swayed slightly, and he struggled to maintain his balance, preventing himself from veering too far off the crevice.

“Almost there, Dude!” Jimmy shouted.

Suddenly, Yibo’s hand emerged from the crevice, grabbing the large handhold on the rest platform. He hung there, paused for a moment, then quickly lifted his foot, pulling himself onto the platform.

“Put a stopper!” I shouted.

Yibo quickly grabbed a larger No. 1 stopper from the harness and shoved it into the crevice. He secured the rope to it.

“YEAHHHHH!” he let out a primal, celebratory roar. “Well done, Yibo!” Jimmy pumped his fist.

“You really went all out! You were enjoying the climb, not just putting in stoppers! Perfect!” I pointed to the location of his last stopper, below stopper number 1. Yibo turned his head. I saw his eyes widen; he was clearly mentally assessing the distance between his gear.

“A bit far! I felt incredibly confident climbing that part!” He looked up at the crack above.

“You did great, Dude!” I replied. “Now, here’s your reward—a perfect palm-lock reward for the ‘Palm-Gap King’!” I laughed heartily.

“I love this reward!” Yibo smiled, climbing upwards along the crack.

An hour later, I reached the belay station, a narrow ledge with a nearly 200-meter cliff below.

“How are you feeling?” I took out my phone to snap a picture. I could sense Yibo was still incredibly excited.

He turned to face me, a bright smile on his face. “AMAZING!” he replied in English.

“His laugh is so big!” I laughed.

As long as he maintained this enthusiasm, I had no doubt we would reach the summit.

I leaned back in my harness, took a deep breath, and savored the moment, watching Yibo belay Jimmy as he climbed up.