Climbing the Ice & Snow World in Harbin, China
A Winter-Journey
In the beginning of January, professional mountain climber Ines Papert visited Harbin; a majestic winter city settled in the far north of China. Every winter since 1985, Harbin has been host to the International Ice and Snow Festival. The four times Ice Climbing World Champion from Germany was the attraction of this year‘s festival. Papert became the first woman to climb the stunning ice-buildings of Harbin.
Interview with Ines Papert:
Ice climbing in Harbin/China; how did you come to such a wacky idea?
A journalist friend of mine kept calling for a about a year. She saw pictures from the Ice Festival in Harbin, and asked if I could imagine climbing the beautiful buildings made out of ice. I spontaneously decided that I would love this challenge.
Why?
I’m an inquisitive and open person, and I am very interested in learning about other cultures. As I look back, my decision to travel to china was a bold and spontaneous decision, and in the beginning I was a bit nervous. Beside the initial nervousness, the idea of climbing the breathtaking buildings was an attractive proposition.
The trip wasn’t so much about a challenging climb. For me it was an opportunity to experience another culture through the sport I love. When we sent out our first emails, we didn’t received nothing but positive feedback from the hosts of the festival. We were told that there never was any such request before. That made me even more interested in traveling there. I have to say that the work we put in to organizing and preparing for the trip could be compared to that of an expedition.
Was it difficult to climb at such low temperatures?
It was truly bitter cold in Harbin. During the day it was below minus 20 degrees Celsius, and at night minus 30 below. Normally, it would have been really dangerous to climb a frozen ice at such a drastically cold temperature. Just by setting my climbing equipment down would have created massive fractures in the ice and the ice would have immediately broken. The good thing about the buildings in Harbin was that they were built out of stacks of solid ice blocks, similar to the pyramids in Egypt.
This layered structure of ice blocks made it easy for me to climb. My difficulties came when I wanted to secure my rope to the wall. The ice was like concrete and it was hard to drive the screws into the wall. In no time my fingers and toes were ice cold and numb. But there were plenty of opportunities for me to warm up again. I gained a true respect for the cold though.
What did the people in Harbin think about your project?
Of course we were excited but I did not know exactly what to expect when I travelled to Harbin. I was really surprised and happy about the positive feedback and the reactions we got. The festival‘s Organizing Committee but also the visitors liked the ice climbing sessions. Especially the climbing-sessions at night when the Festival was illuminated and colorful. I think at the end our project was a great success for everyone involved.
Who was your climbing partner in Harbin?
We searched for a Chinese mountain guide that had experience in ice climbing, and could speak English well. It was not easy to find people that met these criteria. “Andes”, Kang Hua from Beijing turned out to be a perfect match. He wasn’t only my climbing-partner, our translator and guide, but also a great addition to our team.
In what ways?
He was our ears and voice. He understood our ideas, he was able to communicate our project to the city officials and the festival‘s organizing committee. The committee‘s members thought that our basic idea was great, but there were also a few things to be considered. On one side they were worried that my climbing would damage the beautiful ice-buildings. On the other side they were worried about my personal safety, but “Andes” did a great job in convincing them about out my professional climbing background.
Were you guys able to initiate a German-Chinese relationship?
(Laughing) We had a great time in China right from the start. And there is so much climbing potential in China – so it is very likely that we might take on another alpine project together in the near future.
Were you able to meet any of the ice sculpture artists during your time in Harbin?
Yes, and it was a real pleasure. We formed a connection through our love for the ice. We watched them take an ordinary block of ice, a couple of tools, and their bare hands, and in a few days it was a magnificent ice sculpture. It was truly awe-inspiring. The natural waterfalls that I normally climb are in effect also a work of art. Moreover we shared the common belief of the transient beauty of the ice which melts and vanishes. Altogether the conversations with the artists were very interesting.
What will you take personally from this trip?
Incredible experiences, and the great opportunity to meet so many interesting, open minded and great people. The Chinese hospitality really impressed me. I really didn’t expect it to be as great as it was. Everyone was so willing to help and take care of us. We were welcomed with open arms and a friendly curiosity. At the end of our trip we were lucky enough to sit down and have dinner at our guide’s parents’ home. We had the honor of sitting- (laughing) still wearing my climbing-gear- next to Zhang Xiaolianbei the Mayor of Harbin at a banquet for the high-officials.
