Hong Kong resident has Everest in her sights, with North and South Poles up next as she ‘kind of enjoys suffering’
- Vivian Ying Cai plans to climb the highest mountain on each continent and reach the Earth’s axis points
- The 33-year-old is relatively new to climbing but the sport has now become a full-blown obsession
Vivian Ying Cai is preparing to climb Everest next month, and is looking forward to the simplicity of life in the mountains, and the suffering.
A relative newcomer to the sport, the 33-year-old has already battled severe altitude sickness, but that only spurred her on to reach greater heights.
What started out as a trip in 2019 with outdoor brand Arc’teryx to experience ice and rock climbing, progressed to tackling bigger mountains in Sichuan Province, and is now a full-blown obsession which has her targeting the world’s seven highest summits and both poles.
Such is that love, that Cai, who is from Hangzhou in mainland China but now lives in Hong Kong, was preparing to tackle the world’s highest peak and trek to the North Pole in the space of several weeks.
The trek to the pole has been put on hold because of transport issues, something Cai said she was secretly relieved about. But the goal of completing climbing’s ultimate bucket list holds a place in her imagination and she feels she “has to do it”.
It’s not her only motivation. “Also this accomplishment when you train hard and achieve it. That’s kind of the acknowledgement of your efforts,” Cai said.
