Climbing

A climbers approach to climbing Mt Everest

Published March 2018 by Trevor. Updated December 2019.

Introduction

Having been on numerous expeditions to Everest Base Camp (EBC) during the spring climbing season of April/May, I have had the pleasure to meet climbers of various nationalities that have summited or are attempting to climb Mt Everest.

Mt Everest is known as Sagarmatha (Nepal) and Chomolungma (Tibet, China). It stands at 8,8848m and is the highest mountain in the world.

The striking observation from talking with these climbers is their mental toughness. Willing to push their bodies beyond the average physical human endurance to achieve their goals is an achievement in itself.

Training in an altitude gym in Sydney and running up and down sand dunes, I am inspired by the amount of training a climber puts in. One of these, Scott Elleman, is planning to climb Mt Everest this spring.

Interview

The following is an interview I conducted with Scott prior to departing for Nepal.

Trevor: As an introduction, tell us a little about yourself.

Scott: My name is Scott Elleman and I’m 56, so yes, a baby boomer. Born in Bondi to 10 pound Pom parents, I grew up in England joining the Royal Navy at age 17 and then the Royal Australian Navy following my return to Australia 17 years ago. When not training or thinking or planning the next adventure, I’m working with our Navy helicopter fleet.

Trevor: How did you get into climbing?

Scott: It just happened. One thing led to another and next thing you know you’re hanging somewhere precarious wondering why you couldn’t be like the next door neighbour whose weekly outdoor adventure meant a few rounds of golf and a trip to Aldi. But that’s not me. I guess I started the usual way with hiking and camping and learned to climb in places like Bethesda in Wales and Aviemore in Scotland.

Trevor: What other climbing have you done previously?

Scott: Ha! Lately, just the sand dunes at Cronulla. Seriously though, it’s a great workout for aspiring climbers. Three years ago, I took my boys to Everest Base Camp (EBC) and returned to Nepal one year later to climb Lobuche and up to Camp 2 on Mt Everest. Last year, we had a month in Bolivia climbing Pico Austria, Paqueno Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi and Illamani high camp. Let’s also not forget New Zealand’s beautiful Tasman Glacier and the Remarkables in the South Island. All great preparation for the big one!

Everest, Lhotse and the striking Ama Dablam – on the trail from Namche

Trevor: Why climb Mt Everest?

Scott: I remember back in 2015 when I trekked with my sons to EBC, it was the majesty of the Khumbu Valley that absolutely blew me away. After I had climbed Kala Patthar and looked across the valley at Nuptse, Lohtse and Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), something clicked inside me and resonated in a way that I can’t easily explain. After returning to Australia, I was reading an article in a magazine about Nepal and it just hit me like a tonne of bricks. I had unfinished business and at that point set myself the challenge of a summit attempt on Mt Everest. But that will only ever happen if I’m good enough AND the mountain and weather gods are willing.

Trevor: What are the key elements of your preparation?

Scott: I’ve read and leant a lot about using your body’s own fat reserves for energy and generating slow ‘twitch’ muscles. Most of my training has been based on developing these physiological techniques. Aside from swimming for an active recovery, there are a number of key components to my training plan: weights, distance, stamina and hill climbing.

I carry a weighted pack every day and up the weights for longer hikes around Berowra and the Blue Mountains with as much up and down as I can find. Climbing Cronulla’s sand dunes with 20kg for 3 hours really hits the spot and specialised altitude gyms are brilliant for really knocking the ball out of the park.

Training at Peak Altitude — Scott and his partner all kitted up with boots and 20kg pack, training hard in the altitude room.

Trevor: What is your favourite go to food at altitude?

Scott: That’s easy – spaghetti and meatballs MRE’s. MRE’s are American Ready to Eat meals and I just love their spaghetti and meatballs.

Trevor: What do you think will be your biggest challenge or challenges in climbing to the summit of Mt Everest?

Scott: Anything and everything is possible, but probably me. I may be my own biggest challenge. Other challenges are staying healthy and averting any frost bite, and assuming that there’s enough spaghetti and meatballs. Also, the mental anguish that comes from being away from your loved ones can be a difficult demon to live with amongst the immense beauty of being in one of the most majestic and powerful places on earth.

Trevor: Which expedition company are you going with and why?

Scott: I chose IMG (International Mountain Guides). Hailing from Seattle, USA, IMG are recognised worldwide as having an exemplary big mountain expedition organisation, excellent client summit percentages and an incredible safety record with accompanied logistics. I have climbed with IMG twice before and find we are a very, very good fit.

Scott climbing up one of the numerous ladders placed in the Khumbu Icefall

Trevor: Where do you see yourself in years to come? Climbing more mountains?

Scott: Definitely more climbing. There is so much to see and do. I’ll keep going until my body gives up. Then spend my remaining years reminiscing on how truly blessed I was to have lived such an amazing life doing what I loved.

Trevor: Finally, if someone wanted to get into mountaineering, what would you suggest their first step to be?

Scott: Start on some small mountains, add some endurance and strength training and get involved. New Zealand has some great introduction to mountaineering courses where you’ll be roped up, on crampons and navigating crevices. And that’s just on day two. There are so many options out there, and there’s bound to be one that’s just right for you. I’ve friends that love the 4,000m mountains. Those that will go to 7,000m but prefer to hike in as is the case for Aconcagua. Those that like the harder technical 3,000m peaks in New Zealand and those that don’t care so long as they’re out there having fun. Whatever climber you end up being, be a good one and accept that no matter how high or far you go, the joy is in the journey.

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor

Malaysian Borneo: Mt Kinabalu, A New Years surprise

Published June 2017 by Trevor. Updated February 2021.

We could see Mt Kinabalu in the distance from our hotel. With New Years fast approaching and with two angsty teenage children in tow, it was a choice between party on the beach, or, climbing that mountain. Hmmmmm – no second guesses which one my two teenagers wanted to choose! Little did we know at the time, preparation was everything – and altitude something else.

A couple of days before, we went shopping at the Kota Kinabalu (KK) bustling night markets in town. As you’ve probably gathered, this was a spur of the moment decision and so our purchases of essential gear were somewhat limited – but so was our budget. To make this situation even worse, the locals just shrugged this off as ‘just a walk in the park’. Never listen to the locals!!

The ascent

Mt Kinabalu (4,095m) is not for the faint hearted. It was a 5:00AM wake up call for us on the day beginning the hike. We packed our ‘very’ limited gear, snacks (chocolate and the occasional muesli bar), and water, in our market-bought backpacks and began the bus trip from our hotel to Kinabalu Park Headquarters.

From there, we transferred to Timpohon gate (1,866m and 5.5km from the entrance to the Headquarters) and began the five-hour ascent* up to Laban Rata (3,272m) for our overnight stay.

Unfortunately, I spent the last two hours of the long ascent by myself as my two teenagers had suddenly decided that I was too slow for them. Luckily, I had all the snacks with me!. No matter how fit you are, or age, the altitude can be your biggest obstacle when it comes to getting up that hill.

Once I reached Laban Rata, I located my two teenagers, who were sprawled out on a rock, waving, and encouraging (read laughing) me as I came up the final bend. That evening, we settled in for a brief sleep before another early wake up, this time 2:00AM, to begin our hike up the summit.

The climb

With the treacherous weather and ponchos in hand, off we set. The first part of the climb, around 45-60 minutes was quite easy – up a set of long stairs.

Over the next couple of hours, we hauled ourselves up the slippery granite rocks using a sturdy rope and proceeded to a checkpoint. Not long after that, we steadily walked/scrambled to the summit of Low’s Peak. We rewarded ourselves with a well-deserved chocolate bar just in time for the sunrise.

Arriving back at the hotel that evening, I decided to jump in the pool for recovery. I couldn’t move as my muscles ached all over. I was contemplating what I had just done, when a pool attendant happened to pass by. He remarked with a wry smile, ‘ah, you climbed the mountain’. Yes, indeed I did.

Little did I know at the time, but this was the start of many adventures into the world of trekking at altitude.

*There’s a s*** load of stairs!

Onwards and Upwards

Trevor

Insights

Don’t underestimate the effort required to do the hike/climb.
While no special gear is required, sturdy hiking shoes or boots are recommended. Along with a head torch, also pack a warm jacket. You will be climbing in the dark and it gets very cold at the top before the sun rises
Hiking or climbing at altitude should not be taken lightly. See our High Altitude Trekking Tips
Enjoy the views. On a clear night, you can see down below to KK in the distance
If it’s raining when you start your climb from Laban Rata, be careful on the granite as it can get very slippery
Take a few snacks and lots of water. You can also purchase these at Laban Rata Hut, though will more expensive

16 Movies to Watch for Adventure Travellers

Published May 2017 by Emma. Updated December 2025.

Put yourself in someone else’s hiking boots and settle in for some prime time Adventure Films:

Everest (2015) – biographical film on the events of the 1996 Mt Everest disaster
Beyond the Edge (2013) – NZ docudrama about Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mt Everest in 1953
Touching the Void (2003) – docudrama about Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’ climb of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes
The Summit (2008) – a film about the 2008 K2 disaster
Meru (2015) – attempting the impossible climb – the Shark’s Fin on Mt Meru in Northern India
Seven Years in Tibet (1997) – the story of Austrian mountaineer, Heinrich Harrer – his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1952, and becoming a close friend of the Dalai Lama
The Way (2010) – a story of adventure and purpose on the Camino de Santiago
Valley Uprising (2014) – a documentary on the history and crazy life and times of rock climbers in Yosemite National Park
The Dawn Wall (2018) – legendary free climber Tommy Caldwell tries to get over heartbreak by scaling 3000ft of an impossible rock face
Free Solo (2018) – follow Alex Honnold as he becomes the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite’s 3000ft high El Capitan Wall.
Mountain (2017) – An exploration of our obsessions with high places and how they have come to capture our imagination.
Cerro Torre (2013) – David Lama and Peter Ortner set out to free climb a route once thought to be the most difficult in the world.
Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest (2022) – chronicles Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s tragic and inspiring journey to become the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 1993.
K2: Siren of the Himalayas (2014) – an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s most challenging peak on the 100-year anniversary of the Duke of Abruzzi’s landmark K2 expedition.
Dhaulagiri (2022) – An Ecuadorian mountaineer balances friendship, love, and luck in his quest to climb a new route on one of the tallest and most dangerous mountains in the world.
Broad Peak (2022) – After climbing Broad Peak mountain, Maciej Berbeka learns his journey to the summit is incomplete. 25 years later, he sets out to finish what he started.

Adventure Films on YouTube and Vimeo

there’s always YouTube or Vimeo where you can search for the next hike/trek/expedition/adventure you’re about to embark on to see exactly what you’re in for.
checkout our Project Base8000 YouTube Channel for our videos and playlists
or in Vimeo
- Roots Rock Arapiles for a short film on rock climbing history in the Arapiles area, Australia
- Khumbu Climbing Centre Documentary
see the documentary by Michael Dillon on Tim Macartney-Snape’s expedition – Everest: From Sea to Summit

Adventure Film Festivals and Events

You might also be interested in local or online events including adventure film festivals listed on our Events page.

Books to Read for Armchair Mountaineers

Published May 2017 by Emma. Updated December 2025.

books by NZ and Australian mountaineers — Books about New Zealand and Australian mountaineers

We can’t resist books about mountaineering and rock climbing. It’s something to do with the fascination of the worlds highest mountain and the simplicity of expedition life. It’s also the focus and dedication that climbers have to their goal, and raw human experience.

In this post:

Expeditions – Mt Everest, K2 and Annapurna etc

Fallen – Mick Conefrey. George Mallory and the Tragic 1924 Everest Expedition
Everest 1922 – Mick Conefrey. The epic story of the first attempt on the world’s highest mountain
View from the Summit – Sir Edmund Hillary. An engaging story from the legendary New Zealander about the first summit of Mt Everest
Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer. The well-known personal account of the 1996 Everest disaster. Also Eiger Dreams by the same author – a collection of writing on mountaineering.
The Climb – Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston deWalt. The alternative account from the well-known Russian Kazakhstani mountaineer and high-altitude guide. Also by Anatoli Boukreev – Above the Clouds. A fascinating insight into his life beyond just the 1996 disaster.
Doctor on Everest – Kenneth Kamler. An account of the 1996 Everest disaster from a doctor’s perspective – medicine at it’s extreme
Dead Lucky – Lincoln Hall. Life after death with another Aussie mountaineer on Mt Everest
Left for Dead – Beck Weathers with Stephen G. Michaud. There aren’t many adventures like the 1996 Everest disaster which have had so many books written from different perspectives – the more you read the more you appreciate the challenges of making life-or-death decisions in extreme conditions
Annapurna – Maurice Herzog. A book which inspired many to become mountaineers. The remarkable story of the first ascent of Annapurna in 1950, beautifully told, it takes you on a true explorers journey through unmapped territory to find a route, the exhilaration of reaching the summit and the unrelenting challenge to make it back in one piece. For an alternative view of the story read True Summit by David Roberts – what really happened on Annapurna!
Everest The Hard Way – Chris Bonington. The story of the 1975 British expedition to climb the South West Face of Everest.
No Way Down – Graham Bowley. A dramatic story of the struggle for survival on the upper slopes of K2 in 2008
The Snow Leopard – Peter Matthiessen. A 250 mile expedition through the Himalayas to the Crystal Mountain on the Tibetan plateau. Not only an exquisite book of natural history but an extraordinary account of an inner journey.
I’ll Call You In Kathmandu – Bernadette McDonald. The Elizabeth Hawley story. She left America in the 1950s to travel the world and although she’s never climbed a mountain , she became one of the most important figures in Himalayan climbing history.
Everest from Sea to Summit – Tim Macartney-Snape. The story of the first complete ascent of Everest. You can also see the documentary film of this expedition here.
Himalayan Dreaming – Will Steffen (Australian National University Press). Australian Mountaineering in the Great Ranges of Asia 1922-1990.
Ascent of Nanda Devi – H.W. Tilman. (Included in ‘The Seven Mountain-Travel Books’ compilation.) Regarded as a classic, this is the 1937 story of the first ascent of the highest mountain to be climbed prior to the ascent of Annapurna in 1950.
Himalaya Shuttlecock – Hans Kopp. A travelling-companion at one time or another of Heinrich Harrer. Kopp crossed the Himalayas by various means in all six times.
Beyond the Snow Leopard – Bill Crozier. Seeking the snow leopard in the Himalaya (Ladakh, Nepal and Tibet), guided by the writings of Himalayan explorers and Buddhist monks over the centuries.
In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods – Galen Rowell. A member of an American mountaineering team that set off in 1975 to climb the world’s second highest peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range tells of the successes and failures that have marked various expeditions

Climbing All 14 8000m Mountains

No Shortcuts to the Top and Himalayan Quest – Ed Viesturs with David Roberts. The first American to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks
Summit 8000 – Andrew Lock. The first Australian mountaineer to summit all the the world’s fourteen 8000m peaks

Mountain Books – Mountaineers

Everest Inc – Will Cockrell. The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World
Art of Freedom – Bernadette McDonald – the life and climbs of Voytek Kurtyka.
Conquistadors of the Useless – Lionel Terray – the autobiography of one of the greatest alpinists of his time, and one of the finest and most important mountaineering books ever written.
Starlight and Storm – Gaston Rebuffat. The record of a young man’s life devoted entirely to high mountains – one of the greatest climbers of all time.
High Exposure – David Breashears – mountaineer and acclaimed filmmaker (including the IMAX movie Everest, filmed in 1996). This book invites readers into the subculture of climbing and the pursuit of excellence and quest for self-knowledge that comes with mountaineering at the extreme.
Going Up Is Easy – Lydia Bradey – The first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen.
Maverick Mountaineer – Robert Wainwright. George Ingle Finch, the wild colonial boy who took on the British Alpine establishment
Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage – Hermann Buhl – The great mountaineering classic.
Mountain Madness – Robert Birkby. An in-depth portrait of well-known American mountaineer and leader of one of the 1996 expeditions, Scott Fischer. This book also gives a much broader view than just the 1996 disaster.
Where the Mountains Throw Their Dice – Paul Hersey. An insight into the Kiwi climbing psyche
The Ledge – Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan. Achieving the impossible one step at a time – a dramatic escape from a crevasse on Mt Rainier. Also by Jim Davidson – The Next Everest – surviving the mountain’s deadliest day and finding the resilience to climb again.
Dingle – Graeme Dingle – one of New Zealand’s well-known adventurers. Discovering the sense in adventure. Also by the same author – Wall of Shadows – the story of the New Zealand Jannu expedition.
Sheer Will – Michael Groom. An Aussie mountaineer who survived frostbite and went on to climb the world’s highest mountains
Breaking Trail – Arlene Blum. A pioneer who defied the climbing establishment of the 1970s by leading the first all-female teams on successful ascents of Mt McKinley (Denali) and Annapurna.
Kiss or Kill – Mark Twight. Confessions of a serial climber.
Postcards from the Ledge – Greg Child. A realistic slice of high altitude adventure.
Tomaz Humar – Bernadette McDonald. The intense and penetrating biography of one of the brightest burning flames in modern climbing.
Fear No Boundary – Lincoln Hall with Sue Fear. One woman’s amazing journey – the first Australian woman to summit Mt Everest via the North Ridge Route.
Nine Lives – Robert Mads Anderson. Expeditions to Everest
Everest: The Challenge – Francis Younghusband. Everest expeditions.
One Way Ticket – Rolfe Oostra. Mishaps and mayhem in the world of adventure.
Everest Mountain Guide – Guy Cotter. The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer.
First on the Rope – Roger Frison-Roche. English translation of the French fiction classic Premier de Cordee – a tale about the harsh lives of mountain guides and their families in the French Alps in the 1920s and 1930s. A great read, written by a mountain guide.
A Climbing Life – Armando Corvini. The extraordinary life story of climber, caver, businessman, teacher and father Armando Corvini.

Rock Climbing

Alone on the Wall – Alex Honnold with David Roberts. Perhaps the world’s best ‘free-solo’ climber – scaling impossible rock faces without ropes, pitons or any other support
The Push – Tommy Caldwell. A rock climber’s journey of endurance, risk and going beyond limits
The Tower – Kelly Cordes. A chronicle of climbing and controversy on Cerro Torre.
White Spider – Heinrich Harrer. The classic account of the ascent of the Eiger.
The Impossible Climb – Mark Synnott. The story of Alex Honnold’s historic ascent of El Capitan combined with an insider portrait of the elite climbing community.
Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World – Lynn Hill with Greg Child. Autobiography, including the story of her first free ascent of the Nose on Yosemite’s El Capitan.

Antarctic Expeditions

Alone on the Ice – David Roberts. The greatest survival story in the history of exploration. The story of Douglas Mawson’s 1913 Australian Antarctic Expedition.
Edward Wilson of the Antarctic Naturalist and Friend – George Seaver. 1933.
South With Scott – Admiral Lord Mountevans. 1948. Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913.

Mountain Books – Collections and Stories

Life-Changing Adventure – Emma Huffam and Trevor Builder. Written by us! Be daring, be inspired. Adventure is waiting for you.

House of Snow – an anthology of the greatest writing about Nepal. Introduction by Ed Douglas. Foreward by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

To the Mountains – a collection of New Zealand alpine writing. Selected by Laurence Fearnley and Paul Hersey.

More Than It Hurts – and other stories of (mis)adventure by women who climb and mountaineer. Edited by Wendy Bruere and Emily Small.

Nanda Devi – Hugh Thomson. The story of an amazing journey to one of the remotest, most mysterious places on earth.

How the Hell Did I Get Here? – Pamela Lynch. A physical outward journey through the Himalayas and an inner journey that now sees her as a firm advocate for seeing, doing and experiencing life, as much and as often as we can.

Yak Girl – Dorje Dolma. The unusual memoir of a spirited girl in the inaccessible region of Dolpo, Nepal that was the setting for Peter Matthieson’s The Snow Leopard. If you like this book then watch this beautiful documentary about Dorje’s family – The Only Son.

In the Mountains – Ned Morgan. The health and wellbeing benefits of spending time at altitude.

Sherpa – Pradeep Bashyal & Ankit Babu Adhikari. Stories of life and eath from the forgotten guardians of Everest.

Mountaineers – Great Tales of Bravery and Conquest. The Alpine Club and Royal Geographic Society

In Highest Nepal – Norman Hardie. Fellow countryman and climbing comrade of Sir Edmund Hillary, Norman Hardie was was one of the climbers on the 1955 British expedition who first reached the summit of Kanchenjunga. He stayed on after the expedition to live in the Sherpa communities and to carry out surveying of the locality.

WHAT TO READ NEXT?

Use our mind map of related mountaineering books to help you find the next one to read.

For more reading here’s a list of adventure travel books we like, or try an adventure movie.

For Himalayan adventures, you can also read about our experience on the Everest Base Camp Trek, the Everest Circuit and Cho La Pass, or Mera Peak. Or for somewhere different try Mt Kinabalu in Borneo.

Nepal: Mera Peak – adversity and resilience

Published February 2017 by Trevor. Updated February 2022.

Mera Peak Mountaineering Expedition, Nepal (6,476m). Handling adversity and resilience when things don’t go according to plan.

They say don’t sweat the small stuff – well, I should have reminded myself of that!

Sometimes we forget that being mentally prepared for an expedition is just as important as the physical. We thought we had prepared ourselves physically. Gym, trails, hills – lots of hills, back in the gym, weights. Even spending time training in an altitude room – well you get the drift. As it turned out, we weren’t as nearly mentally prepared as we thought we were. Regardless of whether you are running a marathon or undertaking an expedition, there’s one thing to keep in mind. 80% of it is mental and 20% is physical (metaphorically speaking). When the going gets tough, your mind will start playing tricks with you. You will want you to give up before your body does. More on that later.

Kathmandu

On Day 1, we landed in Kathmandu (1,400m) from Sydney via Singapore, ready for our expedition to summit Mera Peak (6,476m). The next day we set off early from our hotel for the 30 minute, hair-raising flight to Lukla (2,840m) with our UK-based expedition leader, an accomplished mountaineer and now Everest summiteer. The members of the expedition team, aside from the sherpa, cooks and porters, consisted of four people from the UK, a Swede, Kiwi and an Aussie. Naturally rugby came up as a topic of conversation. Coming from Australia, I kept very quiet on this front!

Now, I’m not overly superstitious. On the previous day in Kathmandu while shopping around for some extra gear, my partner tripped and fell into one of the numerous gutters around Thamel – the first sign of things to come. Then on the trail, we accidentally walked around some of the mani stones the wrong way (Buddhists walk around in a clock wise direction which non-Buddhists also do for both respect and good luck). I also broke one of my boot laces (yes, I carried spares in case you wondered) and with no blessing from the local Lama as it was too early in the expedition for that. With all that happening, things were bound to go a tad awry, and they did – that mental thing again!

Leaving Lukla

Once we arrived into Lukla, sorted our kit and met our porters, we set off up through the Hinku Valley. Taking the long way around to aid in acclimatisation, we slowly tackled the ‘Nepali flats’. A very happy bunch we were.

The days were great for trekking – clear skies, warm and humid – and the views of the surrounding peaks were glorious. After a few nights camping under the stars, playing ‘Shit Head’ (a card game), and singing out of tune, it all then turned pear-shaped for us. My partner started to develop symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness) and I injured my quad muscle, causing my leg to swell up like a balloon just above the knee. With the Sherpa’s now carrying our day packs, despite our constant assurances that we were still capable, coupled with tent-living, leeches and having to resort to ablutions in the tent (due to some inclement weather) – well all those ‘small’ things finally got to us ‘mentally’. By this time and after five more days, we had managed to make our way up to Khula Kharka (4,120m).

Evacuation

The following day the plan was to trek to Khote, which was a 640m descent in total (including the ups and downs). As it would have been a few more days to reach another suitable site for possible helicopter medical evacuation, a mutual decision was made to evacuate. Dreams were shattered, tears were shed (coping with failure is never easy), some gear including our snacks redistributed to the remaining team (read, grab all you can if it’s free!)

Now at Khola Kharka, we were evacuated by helicopter back to a hospital to be checked out in Kathmandu. Or so we thought.

The helicopter pilot eventually found the landing zone that was ably cleared by our Sherpas, and after several attempts to find us – the pilot was Swiss and very new to Nepal – the helicopter landed. We literally jumped in with our bags, gave the thumbs up (talking here of no more than 20 seconds) and off we went. What had taken us five days to get to this point took us approximately 10 minutes to land back at Lukla. We had a quick refuelling stop to enable the helicopter to evacuate some other mountain climbers and following a quick snack at Paradise Lodge, the plan was then to head back to Kathmandu (stay with me on this).

Cyclone

We didn’t know it at the time, but all this was happening around the same time other med-evacs were taking place due to an unseasonal, and severe tropical cyclone that hit the Bay of Bengal (Cyclone Hudhud). This tragically impacted on trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit and climbers on other surrounding mountains around Nepal (snow, ice and an avalanche on Mt Dhaulagiri), leading to a significant loss of lives of over 43 trekkers and guides.

Hudhud has been the only cyclone whose remnant ever reached as far north as the Himalayas. We were lucky given the area we were in as we only caught the tail end of the storm, but compared to those people it was nothing.

Heading back to Kathmandu

Upon returning to Lukla with the rescued and dishevelled climbers, our Swiss pilot summoned us from the lodge and along with the others, we lifted off for the 50 minute trip back to Kathmandu. I’ve landed and taken off from Lukla seven times now and have only once managed to land by plane due to weather – perhaps there is a theme running here! The cloud had been building up all day as is typical for this time of the year so with light fading, we lifted off. We had only been in the air for around 15 minutes and with the sun setting in our eyes and cloud fast closing in, the pilot began to circle around and continue to stare down at his GPS to obtain a fix.

Now, I wouldn’t naturally worry at this point. I’ve clocked up many air miles and encountered my fair share of turbulence, go around’s with near zero visibility and some hairy landings. However, this is the first time that my heart began to beat more than usual, especially when I caught site of a snowy mountain cliff around 30 metres away. I knew this was not looking good. So when the pilot turned around, apart from feeling very relieved, I knew we were going to spend the night back in Lukla. Even more importantly though, live to fly another day.

After landing, the pilot turned off the rotor blades and the engine stopped whirling. With the Swiss pilot taking off his helmet, he turned around. In the strongest Swiss accent, he said (I kid you not), “hope you understand why I decided to turn around. Safety for my passengers is paramount”! No argument from me on that front Sir!!

Next morning at first daylight, we took the helicopter back to Kathmandu with the same pilot. After the customary handshakes and a nod to our fellow passengers, it was off to the local medical clinic to get checked out and return to the hotel where our journey began a week earlier. For now, climbing Mera Peak will have to wait!

Footnote: We didn’t know it at the time. Given the extra days up our sleeve due to an early end to our planned trip, enabled us to have a spare three-four days to explore the Kathmandu valley in its entirety and thus see many UNESCO sites. Of course, we now know an earthquake struck Nepal on the 25th April, 2015. This badly damaged infrastructure and tragically led to a high loss of life – both in Kathmandu and outlying areas. The Everest climbing season that year was also cancelled as a result.

Insights

Take the time to mentally prepare as well as physically.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
There are several international and local Nepalese based trekking and expedition companies that I would recommend. We did this trip with a company based out of the UK.
Ensure you have the appropriate level of travel or rescue insurance (check out the exclusions). For example, if you’re trekking above a certain altitude, roped up or mountaineering.
Remember, ‘Caveat Emptor’ – buyer beware! You get what you pay for, especially when something goes wrong. Make sure you thoroughly check out your expedition or trekking company as well as the leader.
Ask questions, such as – Do you carry a satellite phone for communications? How can I avoid AMS? If you are planning on going to altitude, do they carry a Gamow bag? What is their success rate? When is the best time to go? Has the leader led this expedition or trek before? Are they trained in Wilderness Medicine? How many people are on the trip? What is the average age of your group? Do they have a suggested kit list? Will they help you source any extra gear that you require for the trip? What do I need to carry in my daypack? Is there a baggage weight limit? How do I best prepare/train for this trip? How fit do I have to be? What is the skill level required? If climbing, climber to guide ratio? Tent based or lodge based trip? Do you need to share (most pricing is based on twin share)? Is water for drinking included in the price or do I need to buy my own? What is the standard of meals on the expedition? What are the visa requirements?
Read how to get to Kathmandu

Would I do this expedition again?

Absolutely, but with a lot more mental toughness to boot (no pun intended). Adversity builds resilience – how you handle adversity and what you learn from that. Stay focused and don’t sweat the small things. The ‘summit’ and the interesting people you meet along the way is an added bonus. Trekking with a future Everest mountaineer and gaining amazing Facebook friends for life is not to bad either. Oh, and I nearly forgot – find a Lama for a blessing!

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor