Client: Arc’teryx China
Release: March 2026

Director’s Note:
The second installment of the Arc’teryx International Women’s Day campaign follows Yang Xiaohua, the first Chinese woman to challenge the prestigious ENSA alpine guide certification in France. Her 5-to-8-year rigorous journey is a testament to finding profound freedom within immense responsibility.

“You can’t fake being strong; you must be honest with yourself and the mountain,” she reflects. Filming her ice climbing in a glowing Chamonix ice cave was an unforgettable, immersive experience. Through the viewfinder, I felt drawn into her spiritual world—a space devoid of conquest or resistance, filled only with pure resonance with the mountain. This film explores the purest state of life: when focus narrows to the breath, climbing is no longer a struggle, but a natural flow upward.

Credits:

Production: M Production
Director: Luka Yuanyuan Yang
Director of Photography: Carlo Nasisse
Mountain DP: Jordan Manoukian

China Production
Executive Producer: Chris Tsao
Producers: Dongdong Bi, Hannah Zhu, Hansen Yang, Anan Zhang
Creative: Ariel Chen | Art Creative: Colin Lee

Camera & Sound
1st AC: Rodrigues Llado | 2nd AC: Antonin Claude
Mountain AC: Florent Andreani
Sound: Paul Thauvin
Mountain Guides: Jean-Sebastien Knoertzer, Alejandro Hernandez, Tony Lamiche, Roberto

French Production (Maad Films)
Producer: Charles Renard
Line Producers: Baptiste Cibat, Florian Cuzacq
Assistants: Eliott Nicot, Jérémy, Louis Renard
Makeup & Hair: Marine

Post-Production & Sound
Editor: Xiaole Feng | Post Producer: Hannah Zhu
Colorist: Najia He
Sound Team: Angel Ignace, Timéo Geneviève-Anastasie, Zhe Jin, Julia Nguyen, Clément Cormand, Pietro Lindley, Xiaoyu Chen