Climbing 7 Summits

To date, Li has climbed 2 of the 7 Summits, including Kilimanjaro, which stands at 19,300’ and Europe’s highest mountain, Mount Elbrus at 18,500’. Next, he will climb the tallest mountain in South America, Mount Aconcagua at 23,000’.

The training is as intense as the climb. To climb Mt. Elbrus, Li ran 2 marathons, training with both a stretching and performance coach. Proper preparation also takes the right gear. Without a waterproof outer layer, one would freeze; without crampons, one would slip; without glacier glasses, snow blindness.

Li has also learned from a failed attempt. On Mt. Whitney, Li had to turn back only a few hundred meters from the summit. But he learned that each climb is its own journey. Each mountain is different, with lesser or greater financial and non-financial costs and presenting a different level of difficulty.

What does climbing teach? Li has learned the importance of preparation, discipline and perseverance, and that the summit is not the goal. The journey is the goal.