Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
On January 6, 20-year-old Bob Tsang Long-kit climbed 4,892-metre Mount Vinson in Antarctica. This completed his seven-year journey to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents.
This was the same day that Tsang’s father climbed this mountain and completed the Seven Summits challenge 13 years ago. They are the first father-son duo from Hong Kong to scale the Seven Summits.
Antarctica was the last stop on a journey that began when Tsang was 13. It took him a year to prepare for the climb on Mount Vinson. He also had to raise HK$400,000 for the journey.
“I was filled with awe and emotion when I set foot on the ground in Antarctica,” recalled Tsang. He is now the youngest Hongkonger to complete the Seven Summits.
“I realised that this might be my only opportunity to visit this place. I knew I had to cherish every moment and make the most of my time there.”
Love for mountaineering
Tsang was six years old when he got his first taste of mountaineering. His father took him to Japan to hike Mount Fuji. This mountain stands at 3,766 metres tall.
He loves hiking because of the people and scenery he sees along the way.
“The views on the peaks in different seasons are pretty,” he said.
“Being on the mountain, we [can] disconnect from the internet, which allows for more meaningful human interaction. When speaking to other hikers face to face, I feel a strong sense of human connection and kinship.”
Hiking for life
Mountaineering has also influenced Tsang’s career goals. The graduate of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong got a near-perfect score on his university entrance exam in 2021. He said it was thanks to the lessons that hiking taught him.
“Hiking is about setting goals and pushing yourself to achieve them within a time frame. Applying this pattern to my studies helped me stay motivated and concentrate on reaching my goals,” said the second-year student studying film production in Britain.
His goal is to make a documentary about hiking to inspire others to follow their dreams: “There are numerous opportunities available to us, but sometimes we become too focused on work and miss out on the beauty that life has to offer.”
“I hope my work can remind people to follow their passions.”
Use the puzzle below to test your knowledge of the vocabulary words in the story.
Suggested answers
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Stop and think: January 6 is the same day his father completed the Seven Summits challenge in 2011, and it was his father who introduced him to mountaineering in the first place.
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Think about it: Tsang said that his high marks on his university entrance exams were partly because hiking helped him learn to set goals, stay motivated and concentrate.
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Answer this: Tsang wants to make a documentary about hiking to inspire others to
