The climbing squad, composed of Lin Yehan, 22, Zhang Chi, 25 and Zhu He, 21, will set off on Sunday. After arriving in Qinghai on May 1, the three will spend four days on the plateau, doing acclimatizing. They will start climbing the peak on May 5.

"It will be the first time for Shanghai university students to climb a mountain with snow," said team leader Lin.

"The event will definitely open a new page not only for local college students, but also for all mountaineering fans in the city," the Department of Chinese Language and Literature junior added.

None of the threesome selected from the 22 members of the Fudan Climbers' Association have any experience climbing a snow-covered mountain.

Moreover, five veteran student climbers from Peking University died in an avalanche on Tibet's 8,012-meter Mount Xixiabangma last year. However, the three are not deterred.

Yuzhu Peak is considered not that risky and a good place for a new climber.

Its south side route is simple and requires less technique. The north route is much more complex, mixed with much kind of land-forms, such as glaciers and ice slopes. The yearly temperature is minus 5 centigrade.

"Actually we were invited by the Yuzhu Peak Climbing Festival. More than 30 climbers will be participating, including two university teams from Fudan and Tsinghua," Lin said.

"Professional guidance and equipment will be made available and the route is suitable for novice climbers."

In spite of these facts, the three members, all of whom grew up in cities, still have much to prepare.

In early March they started their "special training schedule" of five days a week, two hours daily, in order to increase their physical strength, in particular leg power and endurance.

"The training is quite tough and boring," said Zhang, the only girl in the trio and a postgraduate from the Department of Culture Relics and Museology. "My legs are getting thicker due to the hard training. That's bad for girls but I really love mountaineering and want to treasure the opportunity."

The special training includes a 5,000-meter run, push-ups, sit-ups and loaded climbing of a 12-story building for 10 times.

Mountaineering is also costly.

In addition to about 10,000 yuan (US$1,209) sponsorship by Xinmin Evening News, each member still has to spend 2,000 yuan themselves on the necessary rigs.

Lin hoped the trip would pave the way to leading the association into a new era.

"I think now is the time to lead the club to a higher level. Many people misunderstand mountaineering and our association. They think we just go out camping or hiking and have fun. That's wrong. I hope the trip can correct their misconceptions and to further the reputation of the association," Lin said.

(eastday.com April 21, 2003)