Holed up at the Mount Everest base camp waiting for the weather to clear, Malaysian veteran mountaineer T Ravichandran has set an ambitious goal for himself - to conquer two mountains exceeding the height of 8,000m in 24 hours.
Ravichandran, who is on the Himalaya Sport Everest-Lhotse Expedition 2023, is out to set two new records for Malaysians who come after him.
He is hoping that a weather window will open up tomorrow, May 12, for his 24-hour back-to-back ascent of Mount Everest (8,8484m) and Mount Lhotse (8,516m).
If he successfully summits Mount Everest, he will be the first Malaysian to plant the country’s flag at the world’s highest peak three times, said the Malaysian Book of Records (MBR).
Ravichandran’s goal is to then summit Mount Lhotse - the world’s fourth-highest - within 24 hours of completing Mount Everest, if successful, “he would be the first Malaysian to conquer both the eight-thousanders within 24 hours”, MBR said via email.
Everest and K2 within 72 days
The eight-thousanders are the world’s 14 highest peaks, recognised by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation as mountains higher than 8,000m.
“This time it’s different. I am doing two 8,000m peaks in one go.
“Last year, I did Everest and Mount K2 within 72 days. This year I will try to finish faster,” read his WhatsApp message to Malaysiakini from the Everest base camp.
Ravichandran’s expedition last year also earned him the title of the “first Malaysian to summit the world’s second-highest peak, Mount K2”.
His expedition last year took him from Mount Everest, located between Nepal and Tibet, to Mount K2 in Pakistan - a distance of some 1,315km.
Meanwhile, Mount Lhotse is only about 3km away from Mount Everest.
Traffic jam expected near peak
All charged up and raring to go, Ravichandran said: “I am leaving all my fears behind and I am moving forward.”
No newcomer to leading expeditions, he would also be leading an international group comprising two Americans, two Russians, and eight Chinese, on the Everest ascent.
This year’s spring climbing season, which runs from March to May, has attracted a record number of climbers and Ravichandran estimates at least 460 permits to climb Mount Everest have been issued by the Nepal government.
“We have been waiting at camp for more than 10 days now.
“We are expecting a traffic jam at the final ascent,” said Ravichandran, who lost fingers during his first ascent of Mount Everest in 2006.
Climbers are bracing themselves for a repeat of May 2019, when overcrowding cost nine people their lives during their ascent, one of the deadliest seasons for years.
The long waits can lead to climbers running out of oxygen and facing exhaustion, especially in the “death zone” near the peak known as the Hillary Step.
Hillary Step is a 12m rock face, 180m below the summit. - Mkini
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