PINNACLES OF AMBITION

Zhang Liang is only the second mountaineer in the world to have climbed the world's 14 highest peaks and reached both the North and South Poles by foot, Liu Xiangrui reports.

When Zhang Liang finally reached the summit of the Mount Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in North America, the 54-year-old amateur mountaineer acted rather cool about it, and not like a man who had achieved the pinnacle of his climbing ambitions - the so-called "14+7+2".

In mountaineering circles, "14+7+2" refers to conquering the world's top 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents, and reaching the North and South Poles by foot. This "grand slam" of expeditions represents a long-held ambition for many professional mountaineers, let alone amateur climbers.