Mission Impossible

Glaciologist Wilson Cheung is expected to soon become the first Hongkonger to conquer all 82 of the 4,000m peaks in the Alps. But he sees inspiring people to reconnect with nature as an even more important mountain to climb

- Zabrina Lo

Wilson Cheung Wai-yin, who became the first Hongkonger to be named one of the “50 people changing the world” by The Explorers Club in March for his glacial research and the Asia Youth Alpine Mentors Program he set up this year, leads a life many would consider impossible for a city boy. Fifteen years ago, he was told by a local politician that his dream to become Hong Kong’s first astronaut was impossible. But this year, when the glaciologist spoke to Tatler over a scratchy video call from the remote Baffin Island in Canada in late February, he had just completed his five-day Project Possum training. The annual programme sees select candidates from around the world undergo immersive astronaut training at the Florida Institute of Technology, preparing them for future space missions.

While it will take further training before Cheung can fly to the moon, his forthcoming destination is no less extreme. This June, he will set off to the Alps again—after having surmounted 78 of the mountain range’s 4,000m peaks—to conquer the remaining four: Grand Pilier d’Angle, Grandes Jorasses (Pointe Walker), Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey and Les Droites. If he succeeds, he will be the first Hongkonger to have summited all of them.