Page 11 - IAV Digital Magazine #608

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
InChina, PeopleAreHiring‘CimbingBuddies’ ForBig Money. The More Attractive They Are, The Higher The Price
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy2wJ5S4OpE
By Fred He, CNN
(CNN) - Wendy Chen decided to challenge herself by climbing Mount Tai, a well- known mountain in eastern China.
But there was one obstacle in her way: she couldn’t find a friend to join her for the five-hour trek.
Rather than forgo her plans, the 25-year-old hired a “climbing buddy,” a young man with extensive out-
door experience, to accompany and sup- port her to the 5,000- foot peak.
Known in Chinese as “pei pa” (meaning “accompany to climb”), these are young Chinese men who join strangers on their journeys up pop- ular mountains for a price. The trend has gained momentum this year, as hashtags related to “climbing buddy” have had over 100 million views on
Chinese social media.
Young, athletic indi- viduals, often univer- sity students or even military veterans, advertise themselves on social media plat- forms
like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, with profiles featuring their height, fitness level and hik- ing experience. They usually charge between 200 to 600 yuan ($30 to $85) per trip.
During the climb,
these “buddies” will do anything to dis- tract their clients from feeling exhausted and push them to keep going: from singing, telling jokes, playing music, verbal encour- agement, going so far as carrying their bags, holding their hands, and pulling them.
Chen and her climb- ing buddy’s adventure began at around 8:00 pm so she could arrive at the peak in time for the famous sunrise. After assess- ing her fitness level, her climbing buddy planned a moderate route and carried her backpack the whole way.
When they faced chilling winds at the peak, Chen’s climbing buddy rented a thick coat for her while directing her to a walled shelter.
At the moment the sun rose, Chen’s climbing buddy was already prepared with
a national flag and other props so that she could take a memorable photo. Though she felt his photography skills still had room to improve, she rated her climb- ing buddy as “satis- factory.” The service cost her 350 yuan ($49).
Though Chen paid a typical price for a climbing buddy, she acknowledges that more good-looking buddies can com- mand higher rates.
“Attractiveness is also part of their strength,” she says.
Climbing buddies’ main customers tend to be single young women, but that’s slowly changing.
A video of a strong male university stu- dent carrying a three- year-old effortlessly up a steep mountain — while the toddler’s mother trailed far behind — went viral this summer.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine