BURSTYang Xiaohua was the first Chinese woman accepted into the rigorous International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) certification program. Her journey to becoming a mountain guide has been shaped by perseverance and a commitment to learning.
“I have always been able to easily forget pain,” Xiaohua says. When she immerses herself in something she loves, she explains, the hardships begin to fade. But the mountains demand more than endurance. “When you’re in the mountains, you have to be absolutely honest. You can’t pretend to be strong.”
Studying in French, she faced an unfamiliar language and demanding subjects, from geology and glaciology to ecology and mountain safety. A lesson that might take a local student an hour could take her five or six. She spent long hours studying, training, falling, and getting back up, determined to improve.
Far from home, Xiaohua sometimes struggled with homesickness, unable to call her family because of the time difference. She admits that she tends to share only the beautiful moments with them, keeping the more difficult experiences to herself. Even when she suffered a serious injury and underwent surgery, she handled it alone, signing the paperwork without telling her parents.
Yet she does not see hardship as a reason to abandon her dreams. “If you love what you have chosen,” she says, “then of course you’ll endure the hardship and fatigue, and find these things easier to accept.”
For years, she worried about whether she could meet the demands of the program. Then a teacher offered her a simple lesson that stayed with her: “There are no problems, only solutions.” She learned to approach each obstacle as something to work through rather than something to fear.
Over time, her understanding of what it means to be a woman in the mountains also changed. At first, she wanted more people to recognize women climbers. After seeing women in Chamonix confidently take part in demanding, high-risk mountain sports, she began to question whether gender itself should define anyone’s limits.
Today, Xiaohua focuses on what lies immediately ahead, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the distant finish line, she finds satisfaction in being fully present in each moment. For her, the mountains are a place to keep learning and to deepen her connection with the natural world. “Wherever I am, every sunrise and sunset I witness moves me deeply,” she said.
“Some of my climbing friends think I’m lucky. It seems that every time I am focusing on one stage, the next one is already waiting for me. But to me, I’ve never really stepped away. I’ve stayed on my path. I’m not forcing anything. Yet with everything I do, I’m moving toward gaining more knowledge and deeper connection. And in the end, it unfolds naturally.
Watch a new short film by Arc’teryx on Xiaohua below.
Yang Xiaohua
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