Journey to Sagarmatha with Bharath Thammineni, Founder @Boots & Crampons

Do you think an aspiring mountaineer’s first peak could be Everest; the highest peak of the world? Well, being an amateur trekker this was beyond my imagination as well but Mountaineer Bharath Thammineni has surpassed all the challenges and marks Everest(8,848m) as his first-ever climbed mountain.

Mr. Bharath has always prioritized mental health and believes that his indulgence in mountaineering strengthens it even more, due to the challenges and hardships faced between the bottom of the climb and summit. Be, it acclimatizing in high altitudes with not so delicious food, extreme weather conditions, or uncertain calamities, after all these years, he has learned to feel home away from home.  

With an experience of more than 8 years, he is the most suitable individual to answer your most googled questions before climbing Everest or any mountain with an elevation of more than 7000m.

How should I prepare for the climb?

Reminded of his Himalayan blunder, he advises that the first target should never be Mount Everest, because it could turn out to be an awful experience, due to lack of guidance and prior experience. Consequently, all the budding mountaineers must go ahead with baby steps. Initially, you should start with a 30 days basic mountaineering course, followed by an advance course. These courses are simply like a precursor for ascending heights by letting you experience a life of no luxury, limited food, nights in tents, and changing weather conditions. 

In addition to the courses, continuous cardio exercises are equally significant. Your body requires extra strength and gets tired faster in the mountains as compared to plains. Climbing stairs, walking/running on a treadmill with an elevation, and walking with weighed in backpacks ( suggested salt packets, instead of dumbbells to retain bag from deteriorating) can help a lot in improving your strength of thighs and shoulders.

Climbing mountains that fall in the range of 6500m to 7000m (without oxygen cylinder) is particularly important because it boosts your confidence to further climb 8000m with an oxygen cylinder. However, he emphasizes a lot on mental strength and strongly believes that the mental strength to physical strength ratio should be 65: 35, to stay strong, calm, and competent for any kind or degree of uncertainty.

What kind of Gear should be used?

Every year with technological improvement, brands come up with an improved and exceptional set of gears. You require to buy yourself a good pair of trekking boots and crampons for a sturdy grip. Three layers of clothing; thermal, t-shirt, and fleece works perfectly to an elevation of 6500m and for ranges beyond it you are ought to add 4th Layer- A Summit Suit.  There are multiple good brands, available both online and offline, however he usually purchases gear from Kathmandu, instead of directly purchasing from the manufacturing country Italy, because of its higher taxes on Indian purchases.

What kind of food should I carry?

While climbing Everest, you will be provided with a local cook at base camp, however as you head towards the advance camp, you must try to consume food items, rich in protein and sugar, such as dry fruits and sweet candies, besides, you must carry ready to cook items like cuppa noodles, oatmeal, etc.

Are there two sides to climb Everest?

You can climb Everest, from the North as well as the South side. Northern Side has a longer route, with drastic wind conditions, despite the comfort of commutation till the base camp. While you climb from the South side, it takes 8 to 10 days to reach the base camp, but you definitely experience a way better journey. For every 5 people,1 person climbs from the north side, the fact itself directs you to opt for South.

Why the number of casualties is more while climbing down?

The most vital reason is exhaustion, climbers from Asian countries struggle more as compared to other countries for generating fund, which constrains them with a compulsion of reaching the peak, fading out the fact that, it is not a one-way journey of attaining the summit, instead of a climb to the peak and reaching back to the base camp. You must remember what Greg Child quoted in his book Thin Air- ‘The mountains are beautiful but they are not worth dying for’!

What are the prerequisites officially set by the Nepal Government?

You are mandated to meet either of the two conditions:  basic mountaineering course or a climb to the mountain with a minimum of 6500m of elevation, however ticking both the conditions would anyway help you drill better, both mentally and physically.

If you are a mountaineer with a keen desire to climb Everest or other Eight thousanders, you must have come across these questions, but now that you are no more off guard of their answers, it’s time that you pull up your socks and start the rigorous training.

However, there are heavy chances that every other day you would push yourself harder to make your body physically stronger and mental strength would somehow lag behind, that is why to keep you reminded of the fact you must know how Mr. Bharat handled one of the most challenging situations during his expedition to Everest in the year 2015, yes the very same year Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake. Bharath had to climb down to the base camp from advance camp with his team after they felt the tremor. It was the climb he started preparing for in the year 2012 and in a moment his hard work, dedication, savings, everything went into vain but he remained calm and mentally strong, with an acceptance of the calamity and failure. You have to stay mentally strong and prepared that your trek can stop anywhere due to avalanche, extreme weather conditions, or natural calamities but you should never lose hope and always come back to accomplish your goal. In the year 2017, he successfully climbed Everest, followed by climbing Manaslu in 2018 and Lhotse with his team in 2019. He has already climbed 5 out of the 7 summits of the world and post COVID he has his eyes set on Kanchenjunga (8,586m).

Blog by -Dimple Shiv

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Dimple tells some stories via pen, and others via photographs. She is always ready to roll with her backpack to the Himalayas. Her leisure time belongs to her Ukulele and Canvas. Storytelling is just her thing! she can weave stories out of your imagination and layer down the depth of your favourite characters.

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