Everest: How to climb the main peak of the world

The beginning

It all started a long time ago, when at the age of 9 I went to the Carpathians with my parents for the first time. We climbed two small peaks - Velikiy Verkh and Stoy, 1500-1600 meters high. I can't say that I liked the mountains very much at that time, as the weather was rainy and changeable. I was small, dragging this huge backpack, fir-trees were hitting me in the face with their branches and, of course, I didn't get much pleasure from it. Especially when you consider that at the same time all the kids were just playing soccer. So I made up all sorts of excuses, but my parents still dragged me along on hikes 3-4 times a year. So I grew up, got involved and eventually began to realize that the greatest emotions are given by those hikes in which something went wrong. After all, it is about such hikes that you will tell your friends later.

The first big mountain was Elbrus (5642 m) in 2013. I remember that back then, at a gathering of tourists in Bila Tserkva, I was afraid to tell anyone about my goal to climb this peak. After all, I had never climbed to such heights before, so, of course, there were internal doubts about it. But already in August of the same year I and two more of my friends were already on the summit. It was hard, I even promised myself that my foot would not be there anymore, but the fact is that we did it. Then I started to have a plan to climb to the height of 8 thousand.

Preparing for the climb

In order to climb to a height of eight thousand you need to build yourself a certain "ladder" of peaks in ascending order of height. The first of the peaks in this "ladder" is Mount Kilimanjaro with the height of 5895 meters. I climbed it in September 2016. Just a couple months later, in November, I climbed two Nepalese six-thousand meter peaks - Island Peak (6189 meters) and Mera Peak (6461 meters). The next step was to summit as close to 7000m as possible. For this purpose, I chose Mount Aconcagua with an altitude of 6962 meters. This is the highest point of Argentina, and indeed of the entire Southern Hemisphere. So in January 2017 I "ran" to this mountain in 7 days. It was quite easy for me, as the weather favored it.

That's how I was smoothly progressing on this one towards the 8000m mark. The next 7,000-meter peak was Lenin Peak, which we climbed in July 2017. But we, alas, could not climb it because of bad weather - there was a strong wind and for the first time I frostbitten my fingers to small blisters. So, having reached the height of 6800-6900 meters we turned around and went back. In principle I was not upset, as we got very useful experience, and it will be possible to climb there another time. After Lenin Peak it was time to climb the eight-thousanders. The first one was Manaslu peak, 8163 meters high.

To climb an 8,000-meter peak you need a partner. At first I thought to take a Sherpa, but they are expensive, so in the end I decided to go with my friend Sasha Pavlov. He has a lot of trekking experience, but he, like me, has not climbed eight-thousanders before. On September 5, 2017 our program started and already on September 26 we were on the summit. We organized our ascent on our own, we did without oxygen and Sherpas. Nevertheless, you still need to buy a climbing package from the locals. We took the simplest one for $2000. It includes only a climbing permit, and everything else you either buy or make yourself.

After Manaslu, I realized that it is quite possible to walk on eight-thousanders. It was time to choose the next peak. Of course, logically, the next one should have been Everest, as the most significant and highest peak. It was an interesting challenge both for myself and a useful experience for my company - the Kuluar hiking club. That's how the decision was made. I planned to climb two peaks at once - Everest and Lhotse (8516 m) - it is the fourth highest peak in the world. It is located next to Everest and none of the Ukrainians has not yet gone on such a program in one season. Unfortunately, we didn't make it either, as we were caught by bad weather on the descent from the mountain.

How the ascent to Everest takes place

Everything starts in Kathmandu, which is the capital of Nepal. There we spent a few days gathering gear and solving organizational issues. Then on a small 15-seater airplane we flew to Lukla Airport - a transfer point for everyone who is going to climb Everest. The trekking trail to Everest base camp starts there. The trek itself takes 9 days. When you get there, you rest, recuperate and acclimatize to the mountain. To do this, you need to first climb to 6100m, and spend the night. Then at 6500 m, descend again to the base camp at the height of 5300 m and spend a few more days there. Then climb to 7000 m, spend about an hour there, descend to the camp and lower to the height of 3400-3500 m. Rest there for a few days, get maximum sleep and regain strength, return to the base camp and only after all this storm Everest. All in all this acclimatization process took us about 45 days.

In the camp itself, everything is equipped as comfortably as possible. There is a single tent with a mattress and pillow at your disposal. There is also a large tent, the so-called "dining hall", designed for 15 people. There are always different drinks, sweets, there is a bakery, where they bake not the most delicious cakes in the world, but still bake. There is even a bar, where there is whiskey, beer and everything that the soul desires, but it so happened that for a month of our stay there, we drank only a can of beer and all. You don't want that in the mountains.

As for the most extreme situation, it happened during our descent from the summit. The weather sharply deteriorated and we were descending in hurricane conditions: there was strong wind, snow, temperature -55°. After descending from the summit to this camp, my partner Roma and I stayed there for the night, although according to the plan we had to descend to the second camp at the height of 6500 meters, but we had no strength. My protective mask was blown off by the wind. I tried to use other goggles, but snow flew under them. As a result, I had to descend from the summit to the fourth camp at the height of 7900 m with unprotected eyes. This is fraught with snow blindness. Snow blindness is a burn of the retina of the eye. My eyes hurt terribly, but because of the darkness I could not tell if it was a burn.

I realized that it was really a burn when we had to get up at 6-7 am. I injected myself with 2 ampoules of Dexamethasone and we set off. With open eyes I could walk literally 10-30 meters, after which they began to hurt terribly. And this despite the fact that I was wearing goggles and a mask, but even this double protection did not help. When the pain became unbearable, I stopped, closed my eyes and the pain subsided a bit. Relatively: if with open eyes it felt as if they were cut with a knife, then with closed eyes it felt as if pepper was poured into them. So I massaged my eyes and waited for about 10-15 minutes. After that, when my eyesight recovered a little, at least enough to see the equipment and the rope we were walking on, I continued the way. But after 10-20 meters, I had to close my eyes again and repeat the procedure.

So about 8 hours I descended from the height of 7900 m to the camp at the height of 6500 m. The climbers and Sherpas were already waiting for us there, and they tried to help us in every possible way. From there we called a helicopter, because in such a state it is not recommended to pass the Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous parts of the Everest ascent. The helicopter could arrive only in the morning, so we had to spend the night in the camp. In the morning a helicopter came to pick us up and took us first to Lucca and then to Kathmandu. There I was examined by doctors and prescribed some medicines. In principle, everything turned out well: after 2 days I could already see at a distance of several meters, and it took me 1-1,5 months to fully recover. In addition, I got frostbite on my toes - three nails came off and the pinky toe on my hand was frostbitten quite badly. But it's not very critical, fortunately, everything stayed in its place.

How to prepare for the ascent? Can I not be allowed to climb Everest?

The best preparation for the ascent are the hikes in the mountains themselves. You need to walk a lot and gradually increase the height of ascent. In addition, of course, you need to be thoroughly prepared physically. For example, the guys I went with, Dima and Roma, started their preparation 5 months in advance. They had 6 trainings a week. Mostly long-distance running, swimming and adapted crossfit. Personally, when I was at home 3-4 times a week I ran at distances from 10 km. During the week it is mandatory to run once 20 km, and, if desired, two or three times 10-15 km. The important thing is not so much physical strength in the moment, as the overall endurance of the body, which should be developed by varied training.

As such, there is no check-list of requirements for climbing, and you will not be denied the ascent, since you have paid for it. Just in case of insufficient preparation at some stage you will feel weak, you will have to turn around and go down without reaching the top. That's a shame.

Where to turn if you want to climb Everest?

At the moment in Ukraine there are no organizations that have been successfully organizing Everest climbs for a long time. In principle, if you want to climb Everest, you can write to me on Facebook and I will gladly share my experience with you and connect you with our Nepalese partners who will help you organize the climb.

What are the options for climbing (solo ascent, climbing with a group, etc.) and what are the specifics of each of them?

Officially, solo ascents of Everest are now prohibited. A climber must necessarily be part of a group, you must have a Nepali guide with you, a liaison officer and a permit must be obtained for the climb itself. One such permit can include up to 15 people. In principle, you can join someone and go solo, but in my opinion, to climb Everest independently can only a few people in the world, maybe less than a hundred. I highly recommend using the services of a Sherpa as it is unloading and helpful. Sherpa is the person who carries your oxygen, makes sure it doesn't run out, he makes you tea, helps you handle your equipment and helps with everything.

Sherpas are much more experienced than mountaineers and their help is simply invaluable!

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If we talk about climbing routes, it is climbing from the north, from the Tibet side, and climbing from the south, from the Nepal side. I went from the Nepal side because I like this side better. It was also interesting to go through the Khumbu Icefall. This glacier is incredibly beautiful, although it has additional danger.

In general, the route from the south (from Nepal) is shorter, steeper and more dangerous. From the north the route is longer, in some respects it is more comfortable, but the passages themselves are longer and more windy. Which side to climb from is a matter of individual choice.

Alternatives to Everest

Before climbing, I would recommend to pass all the peaks I told you about above. If we talk specifically about the eight-thousanders, there are three mountains that are recommended to go before Everest: Cho-Oyu (8201 m) in Tibet, it is considered the most technically accessible eight-thousanders, but the disadvantage is the cost. Tibet is in practice twice as expensive as Nepal's climbs. Speaking of Nepal, it is of course Manaslau (8163m), which was my first eight-thousanders. Technically, the ascent to this mountain is not very difficult.The third such peak is Makalu (8481 m), but I have not been on it yet. This is how the three eight-thousanders look like, which are ideal for preparing for Everest.

How much does it cost?

Climbing Everest is very expensive and the price is formed from a large number of different factors. For example, many European and American companies can charge up to $100,000, for us the climb cost $32,000. The price is so high because I spend a lot of time in Nepal and chose a local company as the organizer. This cost does not include my expenses as a leader. My guys and I paid for everything collectively, which made the price significantly lower. The price consists of several factors, the most unpleasant of which is the permit to climb Everest. This piece of paper costs $11,000. The second item is the services of a high-altitude Sherpa. They cost differently, but on average it is about $7000. Sherpa is assigned to climbers for the whole time of ascent. The rest of the sum is the service itself, a tent at the base camp, food, oxygen tanks, local flights, equipment and a number of other possible expenses.

The next important point is the participation of the Nepali overseas leader in the expedition. He has to pay the same expenses as each of the participants. If you are accompanied by an English-speaking leader, it immediately increases the price many times over. But he can share his experience with you and make sure that your relationship with the Nepalese side is as successful as possible. The summit bonus is the bonus given to your Sherpa in case you reach the summit. It is approximately $1500. And also, do not forget about the equipment you will need - it is high-altitude boots, a suit, a sleeping bag designed for -25 - -40 degrees. All this also costs a lot of money and in total it will cost about $5000.

There are two types of packages: base camp package - it includes everything up to the base camp, then you work on your own. With this option I do not recommend to go to the base camp. Everything I told you about above is included in the all-inclusive package. It really includes everything except personal insurance, summit bonus for Sherpas and your flight to Nepal.

In conclusion, I wish everyone to travel more, to go to the mountains, because mountains make people better. I can say this with confidence, because I have seen it many, many times. Every summit you pass adds to your inner confidence that you have overcome yourself, even though it was hard. You will surely be able to climb the next peak, which will be higher and more technically difficult than the previous one. This feeling of confidence is priceless, because we are not only talking about mountains here, but also about conquering life's peaks. It all works the same way. So travel, discover, live!