We had just come back after summiting Mt Lhotse. Possibly the toughest day of my life. I was following Mingma Tenzi Sherpa all the way to the top. Mingma, the insane rockstar he is, broke trail in knee deep snow, removed close to a km of buried fixed line, and then at the very top fixed about 150 meters of rope to open the route to the top. Anyway, both Mingma and me were sitting in camp 4 after the climb and out of the blue tears just started rolling and in no time I was crying profusely. Mingma asked - are you OK, what happened? And I told him that I'm super home sick. I'm remembering my mom, dad, and my wife.. And Mingma told me - control! He removed satellite phone from his pocket and said - give a call home man! I turned on the phone and right away it turned off. The battery had discharged! Aah the life in the mountains.
To recap for all you awesome folks who have been following my journey, I climbed to the top of Lhotse, which at 8516 meters is the 4th highest mountain in the world. Our entire Satori Adventures team of 5 climbers supported by a super strong team of incredible sherpa guides (Mingma Tenzi, Phurba, Dawa temba, Pemba oingdi, Pema and Phurba Kusang) stood on top of Lhotse on May 15th morning!
I did this climb primarily for two reasons. First I was climbing for the awesome kids of Sunsar Maya, who inspire me every day to go out and pursue my dreams. And thanks to the amazing support from all you awesome people we've been able to raise almost 5000 USD to help the kids also go out and pursue their dreams. You can read more about our campaign here - Sunsar Maya Lhotse campaign
Next up - I did this climb in support of the #Vegan cause. In my opinion this is truly the first ever Vegan 8000 meter expedition. I do not think that any Vegan in the world has yet climbed any 8000 meter mountain - including myself - as I wore down suit and leather palm mittens on top of Everest in 2016. When I stood on top of Lhotse, I did not wear any down suit, instead I wore a synthetic suit created for me by a company called - Save The Duck, which by the way performed extremely well on the top of Lhotse, as well as in 80-100 km per hour gusts that hit us between camp three and camp four (more about the suit soon in a different post)! I also did not wear mittens with down in it, as well as leather palms. Instead I had mittens specifically created by a local company in Kathmandu with only polyfill and nylon material, and they performed great in intense conditions and on the top! Also it goes without saying that I ate a 100% strict vegan diet while climbing. Finally it was proud moment for me to fly the "Liberation for all" flag created by a passionate Vegan and good friend - Anu Vidya, who unfortunately passed away a couple of months ago while hiking. This climb is very much a dedication to her!
What kind of boot did you use? Is this boots vegan?
Everest Millet GTX, which as far as my understanding go are very much animal free.
Insole with insulated Aerogel structure. Polyethylene shell with polyester-aluminum lining, and waterproof GORE-TEXT gaiter.
Outer protective upper, Condura Superfabric, GORE-TEX. Internal retainer shell, Condura polyethylene, polyester-aluminum. Removable thermal innerboot: Primaloft, Aerogel insole. Efficient closure: easy zip with velcro tab, Easy-quick fit inside tighteners. Foot support: glassfibre + carbon + microcellular midsole. Vibram mountaineering outside, compatible with all crampon systems.
[…] Jacket: I own an ultra-light, foldable down jacket from Uniqlo that works till 0 degrees Celcius; although the brand states that it sources duck feathers from ethical suppliers, I won’t buy a down jacket again, simply because “ethics” are often relative and I’d rather not wear any animal products. I’m eyeing the Save the Duck jackets, which ensure warmth with recycled plastic and synthetic – my friend Kuntal even climbed the challenging snow-capped Lhotse peak outfitted in one! […]
[…] Jacket: I own an ultra-light, foldable down jacket from Uniqlo that works till 0 degrees Celcius; although the brand states that it sources duck feathers from ethical suppliers, I won’t buy a down jacket again, simply because “ethics” are often relative and I’d rather not wear any animal products. I’m eyeing the Save the Duck jackets, which ensure warmth with recycled plastic and synthetic – my friend Kuntal even climbed the challenging snow-capped Lhotse peak outfitted in one! […]