Everest 2016 and The Live Love Laugh Foundation
For the last 12 years I’ve been climbing in the Himalayas where I've summited several 8,000m peaks including reaching the summit of Mount Everest five times. The last one was in 2013 when I was able to finally complete an ambitious challenge: reaching the summit of Everest two times in the same season, from both sides of the mountain (Nepal and China). I was able to achieve this with only 8 days between summits.
For these adventures I've had no sponsors and no commitments. It's not my job and I do it as a personal challenge. So why go back again this year?
The first part of the answer is that every time I’ve climbed Everest I’ve had a unique goal. The first time, in 2005, it was just to reach the summit of the highest mountain on Earth. It was a difficult year because of the tough weather conditions but I reached my goal. I went back in 2008 to climb Lhotse (fourth highest mountain) and Everest, reaching both summits within 5 days. I then took on the challenge of the Double Summit and I had to go back three times to complete it. In 2010 I was only able to reach the summit once from Nepal and the next year I had to return home after turning around on summit day in conditions that I didn’t feel were safe for climbing. 2013 was the big year when I reached the summit for the 4th and 5th time and set my record. On every one of those expeditions I used supplemental oxygen and last year I was going to climb without it for the first time. On April 25th 2015 around noon, I was at 6,300 meters on Everest's camp 2 when the glacier started shaking violently under our feet as a massive earthquake hit Nepal and killed over 8,000 people. The expedition was cancelled but I stayed behind to help with disaster relief. So in the next few days I will be traveling halfway around the world, again, to try to achieve this goal of climbing without oxygen.
The second part is the most important for me right now. Last year I completed a nearly 10,000km motorcycle ride across northern and central India. I did it alone, on a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 motorcycle made in Chennai, in Southern India. Now that I think about, it’s odd that in so many years of traveling I’d never been to that amazing country. So, just like I do when I plan every other adventure, I researched my destination as much as I could before the trip. During June of 2015 I was following the news in India every day and that’s when I first read about Deepika Padukone and The Live Love Laugh Foundation.
Deepika is arguably the most celebrated leading lady in India’s prolific film industry. Earlier in 2015 she opened up about her struggles with depression. In India, as in may other countries, mental health issues are taboo and the people that suffer them usually have to deal with them in the dark. They rarely get the medical and social support they need. In order to bring these issues to light, Deepika put together a team of experts and in September officially launched The Live Love Laugh Foundation against depression. Some of the Foundation’s main goals are to raise awareness and remove the stigma attached to mental health issues, to provide information about the causes and symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses, and to direct people to medical professionals that can provide help.
I was deeply moved by Deepika’s story. Several family members have suffered from mental health problems. When those problems have been addressed and treated, the result have been completely positive. On the other hand, when treatment has been rejected and even acknowledging that there is a problem has been denied, the results have been tragic for them and their loved ones. Therefore, depression and mental health are issues that are close to me and that I take very seriously.
I’ve now been climbing for 23 years and going on international expeditions for the last 13. Something I learned early on is that whether I’m climbing, sailing, paragliding, long distance running, or any of the activities I do, my goals are very personal. Even when I succeed, those achievements don’t make someone else’s life better. Almost a decade ago I began sharing my experiences through social media and my blog, hoping to inspire others to live an exciting life with personal goals and, perhaps adventure. But still, something was missing. That’s why I decided to work with different organizations and try to raise funds and awareness to their causes with the goal of making someone's life a little better.
When I finished my motorcycle trip in Delhi last December I jumped on a plane to Bangalore and met with Mr. Aashu Calapa, the Foundation’s director. We talked about ways that I could support the Foundation's goals through my activities. For that reason, this spring I will be carrying The Live Love Laugh Foundation’s banner to the summit of Mount Everest. Although it doesn’t compare with how challenging it can be for them, I believe that bringing the banner to the highest point on earth is symbolic of the struggle that people go through to overcome depression and mental health problems. By sharing this adventure through traditional and social media, we expect to reach millions of people and let them know that there is no shame in dealing with these issues, that help is out there and that with the proper support there is light beyond those dark times.
The expedition will last for two months, April and May with a possible summit day between May 15 and 25.
The way you can help us is by visiting the Foundation’s website www.thelivelovelaughfoundation.org and sharing it with anyone close to you that is going through tough times. Also, please use the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone to let them know there are others that care about them.
Thank you for sharing yet another adventure with me and this time for a very important cause.