Page 34 - Army Mountaineer Winter 2022

MISCARTICLE
EVEREST OR BUST!
Chris P, 3 Military Intelligence Battalion
In a series of articles Chris P, a Reservist with 3 Military Intelligence Battalion, will take you on his journey
to climb some of the world’s highest mountains, starting with Mera Peak in April 2023 and culminating with an attempt at Mount Everest in 2025/26. In this article, Chris tells us what motivated him to take on this inspiring challenge
I have always wanted to climb Everest. I can’t remember when the thought first occurred to me but suffice to say, once I’ve sent my mind to something, I have to see it through.
I am an Army Reservist from Essex. I joined 3rd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment in 2005, and then 3 Military Intelligence Battalion in 2010. So far, I’ve completed tours of Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq, plus a few Short-Term Training Teams.
After a tour on Operation ELGIN, I booked a trek to Everest Base Camp, scheduled for October 2019, as a present to myself. Unfortunately, an issue at my civilian workplace meant I could not go. Undeterred, I deferred the trek to April 2020 – “Surely that would be fine”, or at least I thought. So naturally, in February 2020, I received call out papers for Operation SHADER that summer and in March the
Lhoste, Everest and Nuptse
world shut down anyway. The trip conse- quently went from October 2019 to April 2020, to April 2021, to October 2021 to finally, April 22. My training consisted of running. Nothing more, nothing less. I’ve always ran marathons and ultras so I figured I had the cardio for Everest Base Camp.
I flew into Kathmandu, and met the group I would be trekking with. The UK company Evertrek arranged everything and they did so very well. We flew on to Lukla, a very interesting flight (search Youtube for “Lukla landings”) and started the trek. Over the next nine days, we trekked from 2652m to Namche Bazaar (3440m), then on to Tengbouche (3867m) and then Dingbouche (4358m) before Lobuche (4928m). After that, it was on to Gorek Shep 5160m, and finally, Everest Base Camp (5364m). Base Camp was just how I pictured it, a sprawling metropolis of tents and large mess domes. The Khumbu icefall was as dramatic as I’d imagined and the entire landscape was indescribable. The next day, a few of us set off in the dark and climbed to the summit of Kala Pattar (5644m) for a spectacular view of Lhoste, Everest and Nuptse. Finally, we began the three-day walk back to Lukla and the early morning flight back to Kathmandu.
I was hooked. The following week, I booked Mera Peak (6476m) for April 2023 and began enquiring on Everest prices. I spoke with Kenton Cool (https:// www.kentoncool.com/) who I had met in Namche Bazaar, who gave me some great advice. I’ve also spoken with Adriana Brownlee (www.adrianabrownlee.com) too, and that has now led me to look at Manaslu (8163m, scheduled for September 2024) and Everest in 2025/26 depending on funding! Financially, these big climbs are some commitment. Manaslu will set me back c£18,000 and Everest will be closer to £45,000. The next stage is fund raising, which is a task in itself! And on fundraising, everything I do will raise money for Shout 85258, the mental health charity. Details on donations can be found on my social media site.
So, wish me luck for Mera Peak and hopefully I’ll meet some of you at future AMA events! Until then, you can follow my journey on Instagram @chrisclimbs2022.
Lukla Airport, known as the most dangerous airport in the world
Summit of Kala Patthar 5644m overlooking Everest Base Camp
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