After more than ten hours of climbing, the Hunan Mountaineering Team reached the top of Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America at 14:30 on January 3, 2026 local time (01:30 on January 4, 2026 Beijing time). The seven members of the team are Liu Yang, Liu Yan, Xie Ruxiang, Lu Mingyong, Liu Qiucheng, Tang Ling, and Xu Zhuoyuan. This marked that the Hunan Mountaineering Team successfully completed its fourth stop in the "7+2 Global Adventure Grand Slam."

Mount Aconcagua, standing at 6,960 meters above sea level, is renowned for its fierce winds and steep slopes, with an average summit success rate hovering around 30%. The Hunan Mountaineering Team achieved a remarkable 100% summit success rate during their ascent, making a significant mark in the history of Aconcagua climbing.

"The vertical ascent to the summit reached nearly 1,000 meters and was exceptionally steep, so our entire Hunan Mountaineering Team underwent rigorous physical conditioning before departure," said Xu Zhuoyuan, a 19-year-old girl from Changsha. Thanks to the team's targeted training—including weight-bearing climbs and high-altitude treks—combined with favorable weather conditions on ascent day, they ultimately achieved the remarkable feat of having every member reach the peak. This was truly a triumph of teamwork!

The Hunan Mountaineering Team, established in 2020, is China's first provincial-level mountaineering team with a goal of completing the "7+2 Global Adventure Grand Slam"—scaling the highest peaks on all seven continents and hiking to both the North and South Poles. The team has already conquered Mount Qomolangma, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Elbrus before this climbing.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunantoday