AN AMBITIOUS office worker has revealed his top tips on how to defeat the daunting Mount Everest with hardly any training or experience.
Neel Parekh made the taxing journey up the world’s tallest mountain and claims anyone can do it if they’re brave enough and clever with what they bring with toilet paper being a must have item.
He named three “clutch items” that saved his trip and made the gruelling journey so much simpler.
Neel posted his legendary advice onto X, formerly known as Twitter, as he revealed he trained for only three weeks before he climbed up the mountain and has never hiked before.
He said: “I firmly believe that ANYONE with average fitness can do this. The trek itself isn’t too technical.
“It’s long, yeah, but that’s expected. The hard parts come from the unexpected…”
At the top of Everest Base Camp– Neel’s final destination – the elevation soars to over 18,500ft.
Altitudes like that are hardly ever experienced by the human body meaning it can be a huge shock to the system.
Breathing becomes trickier and the bitter cold can latch onto your body making the final days hell if you aren’t slowly acclimatised.
The entire trip is full of walking up steep roads and rocky cliffs top various checkpoints meaning some form of fitness is advised.
Neel spent his three weeks of training building up his cardiovascular endurance through boxing training three times a week and two long sessions of hiking up Beverly Hills.
He says he felt “fine physically” during the climb but did note the altitude made him exhausted on some days.
To combat this he recommended a simple fitness routine of walking up steps for an hour at a time to build up the feeling of fatigue so your body knows how to overcome it.
The vastly different weather to what most of us feel in our day-to-day lives also means what you wear is crucial.
Neel recommended being smart with your packing as sometimes the mountains can be hot when the sun is beaming.
But rain can also spoil the fun so a rain jacket of some kind is crucial.
He said he wore several layers on most of the days which consisted of a long-sleeve shirt with a short-sleeve one over it and then a fleece sweater on top again.
Completing the look was a neck Gaiter, a baseball cap, hiking boots and some lightweight trekking trousers.
Everest survival guide
SEASONED Everest climbers have made a handy checklist on what most people should definitely do before they even consider tackling the mountain.
Here are there top 10 tips…
- Train before you go and focus on your endurance and strength
- Practise your breathing beforehand and as you travel
- Wear googles to protect your eyes and a hood or mask to protect your face.
- Always listen to your guide as they will know best in every situation
- Take enough food and water for at least a 12-hour day everyday no matter how short the trek may be scheduled for
- Make a plan before every day of climbing so you know exactly what to do
- Climb with other people and make as many friends as possible
- Always go at your own pace
- Being sick can be part of the journey but don’t ignore it – get help if you need to
- Bring a light if possible
Even if you don’t have the gear with you or think the price of specialist boots and trousers are simply too high at home, Neel says the first stop the journey is littered with discount hiking shops.
The three golden items that Neel said made the trip so much easier was toilet paper, a camelbak for water and electrolyte tablets.
He said on his social media: “Bring toilet paper everywhere. Trust me.
“Bring a camelbak for water – way more convenient than a water bottle and liquid IV electrolytes – drink 2 of these per day.”
Some basic medicine and a pillow case was also recommended as the days can be long with many of the nights being unforgiving in terms of a sleep schedule.
NEEL’S TAXING JOURNEY
Climbing any mountain let alone Everest can be a potentially fatal trip but for Neel and thousands of others the real danger starts at the airport.
Lukla Airport in the Himalayas is commonly referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world due to its very short airport.
Standing at just 500m long it is one of the smallest airstrips on the planet.
The airport sits at an elevation of over 9,300ft which to many of us is more than we’ve ever encountered before.
In the first two days, Neel and his wife trekked for over 11 hours across suspension bridges and uneven terrains.
He said: “I quickly start realizing that trudging uphill, with a pack, in thin air, is crazy hard.
“I was huffing and puffing trying to get up a hill…”
Then, reaching an elevation of over 13,000ft, Neel says he slowly adjusted to the rising altitude in order to become acclimated for the tougher journey ahead.
Something Neel claims to have never adjusted to is the lack of supplies and places to relax on the trip.
He was forced to use a DIY toilet, sleep in sleeping bags on the cold floor and only shower with cold water.
By day nine of the trip, Neel was slowly becoming acclimatised to the oxygen deprived air and at an almighty elevation of 18,519ft he had reached Everest Base Camp.
He was given a friendly massage and descended back down the mountain after feeling extremely proud and accomplished.
