Everest expedition Part 2: Why Climb big peaks and Why I care for the Splash cause?

We are now 5 weeks before departure for Nepal. It's time we talk about some of the motivation and preparation, so this post will focus on the following two questions.

· Why climb Everest?

· How do you train for such a climb?

I also want to take this opportunity to present the non profit organization I am doing some work for and co-sponsoring a fundraising event with (DONATE). So this post will also discuss the following two questions.

· What impact does Splash.Org have?

· How does Splash work? How can they deliver the same US commercial grade water quality in poor countries?

Why climb Everest (or any other high altitude peaks)?

I love the grandiose sight of a massive mountain range seen from the valley. I equally love the endless views of lower peaks, valleys, glaciers flowing downhills as seen from a summit. I love the moments of serene silence only broken by the sound of footsteps crushing the snow beneath the crampons or ice-ax, in the middle of the night. There is a magic associated with these moments that cannot be explained, they have to be lived and felt to understand them.

June 2009 - Denali West buttress route: Above the Washburn's Thumb on route to camp 5

Every time I leave for an expedition—be it Denali in Alaska, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, or Cho Oyu in Tibet—what I also look for is the anticipation during the months of planning, the focus and dedication throughout the training, the discovery of culture and people in villages or communities we pass through, and most importantly, the companionship moments shared among the other climbers with whom I share a similar goal. Climbing a mountain is not about the summit itself (you really only spend on average about 30 minutes there at most), it is about the life experience, the journey (which lasts for weeks, and starts months before setting foot on the mountain).

These experiences shape who I am. We all are the sum total of our experiences. We are the accumulation of everything we’ve seen, the things we’ve done, and the places we’ve been. These experiences generate deep friendships, they build lifelong memories, they shape our values, they make us appreciate every little moment of comfort and luxury life that the western world gives us. For any of us, experiences become a part of our identity.

But then again: Why Everest? When I climbed Cho Oyu a few years ago through the Tibetan side, David (my climbing partner of over 10 years) and I discovered a bit of Kathmandu. We spent most of our time in the Tibetan side travelling through the Tibetan plateau toward Tingri and then the Cho Oyu base camp. It is a special place which we are so glad to have visited, but it is dry and bare—nothing like the lush views we saw of the Nepal valleys as we traveled toward the Tibetan plateau. When we returned from the summit, we both vouched that Kathmandu would be a place that we returned to—a place whose atmosphere we appreciated deeply, whose lush valleys we would trek through. Initially, we thought a trek to Everest base camp or a climb of Ama Dablam would be a satisfying objective; but with time passing by our discussions of travel gradually shifted and at one point David proposed, why not Everest? We knew we could do decently at higher altitudes and the opportunity to visit some of the most magical and historic places for an alpinist, such as the Khumbu icefall, the Lhotse face, the south col, the yellow bands, and the Balcony was just too much to pass on. We are still in good shape and our respective professional careers have allowed us to contemplate this project this year. And so, what started out as a simple idea took shape overtime and became a concrete plan in September 2018 that we are excited to turn into reality.

But our Everest expedition journey will not start on March 25th, when we set foot on the plane. It has already started, months ago. In September 2018 to be exact when we made the decision. Then we went into planning for logistic, for gear, and for training. Half of the excitement and of the fun is in the anticipation and preparation of the actual expeditions. Let's talk about this a bit then...

What does it entail to climb Everest?

Climbing Everest truly begins about 6 to 9 months before the flight to KTM. This mainly entails extensive training and the preparation of gear. The training varies for each climber, but for me, it was about first losing the extra weight that comes back and pile up generously after I return from a climb. I have always gained back between climbs, unfortunately much faster than the time it takes to loose it back. This meant having to shave about 30 lbs in the first 6 months of training. To do this, I usually complete the same Treadmill/Peloton bike/rowing machine routine every day of the week, and then throw in one or two hikes in the I90 corridor (Granite peak and Snow/Gem lakes being my favorite ones of them all) on week-ends.

Notice the mandatory screen. Thank you Netflix for producing so many series.

A typical day of training requires a total of 3 to 4 hours of work-out (2 hours on treadmill at 3 m/h with a 60 lbs backpack and 20% incline, 1 hour of indoor bike at 17/18 m/h and 30 minutes of rowing machine plus some strengthening). I also reduce the volume of food I eat (and yes, this does mean cutting out the occasional glass of wine or piece of chocolate).

The other big task, that must be completed before heading to Nepal, is gathering all the gear necessary to climb such a peak (if you are curious about the full gear list, you can find it here). Having the right gear on the mountain is super important for both safety and comfort, which allows for higher morale and stamina. One missing item or one lost item such as a glove or a bottle of water and your life is now at risk at high altitude. Your climb is over and you must come off the mountain immediately. At extreme temperatures and altitude, every piece of gear counts and has a critical purpose. It is a matter of life and death. Gear shopping is fun when you are a gear geek. Finding the best price possible, trying it out with the rest of the gear ahead of time is key but can also be fun. You cannot afford to discover at 8000 meters, when getting ready to head for the summit, that something doesn't fit.

I had to replace my new harness with a larger size one when I realized it wouldn't fit over my big summit day puff jacket and that putting it on was impossible with a thick pair of glove

In late March, we will fly to Kathmandu, where we will spend a few days completing gear checks. The guides takes this super seriously, as they should. We spend about 3 hours going down the list item by item and making sure everyone has the appropriate gear for everyone's safety.

Besides climbing gear, there are two essential set of items that must also be gathered: Comfort food and leisure items.

We spend less than half of the days doing actual climbing. The rest of the days are spent at camps (Base camp or altitude camps) resting, replenishing your body and acclimating. That. is. a. lot. of dead time seating on your butt waiting for your body the generate the appropriate amount of red cells for you to continue up. Books, games all must comply with a generous entertainment/weight ratio. Of course Kindle are now a favorite as they do well on the mountain, and have the best entertainment/weight ratio value since they can store hundreds of books in a very small form. I also intend to bring a card game as well (Tarot for my french friends. No, NOT the palm reading kind).

Leisure food is mostly good for moral when having a low moment during the expedition. Everyone has bad days at some point. Comfort food is just that, food for comfort. Usually guides will let us bring about a small box size worth of comfort food. For me, it is usually some form of chocolate (so long as it the kind that doesn't become like concrete when below freezing), small pound cake, concentrated milk, strawberry apple sauce. It is also preferable that comfort food carries a very generous calorie/weight ratio. Unlike at sea level, up at altitude we want the most calories for the least weight possible. We consume between 6000 and 8000 calories a day just breathing the air at altitude and moving around (regular sea level is 2500-3000 calories a day). So the more calories we can pack at once, the best it is. Now you probably start to understand how the body makes you pay this back when we come back at sea level.

In the next blogs I will cover some of the remaining questions like:

· What are the requirement to join such an expedition?

· Who do I go with and why?

· Is it dangerous?

· How do you actually climb a mountain like Everest and why does it take over 2 months?

· What type of gear is needed and what is each used for?

· Sherpas? Locals? Is commercial climbing a good or a bad thing for Nepalese/Tibetans?

· Isn’t the mountain getting super dirty and isn’t commercial climbing becoming a bad thing for the earth?

· What then? What happens after Everest?

Now, let me tell you more about Splash.org, their mission, the impact they have and how it is possible to deliver the same US commercial grade water quality in poor countries at a fraction of the cost?

First, let me tell you how I came to work for Splash.org.

Those of us who travel around the world and visit remote countries—whether it be for sight-seeing, family gatherings, or sports event—are blessed with the time, health and financial means to do so. Often, we may not even notice the conditions that some of the locals in these countries are bound to live in. When I was introduced to Splash, by Neal Myrick (Director of Tableau foundation), I was seeking to spend more of my time involving myself in charity or community work, and Splash’s mission really struck a chord with me.

Splash's mission is to bring clean water to many poor and remote urban areas. A large sum of these areas are also the destinations of adventurers like me. Yet, we rarely acknowledge how much these populations miss such a basic element like clean water—which is something we take for granted at home and even on our expeditions. Clean water is not only essential for drinking, but it is critical for basic health.

Bringing clean water to more kids and educators has a direct impact on improving the health of these communities. In doing so, this also contributes to a better education for these students as they can focus on attending class instead of curing a constant sickness. This, then gives them a better chance to succeed professionally. Having better education leads to better and more job opportunities, which contributes to the overall economic growth of a country. Something as basic as clean water can have a significant impact on economic growth and fighting poverty. It is just like the saying: Small streams make for large rivers. That is in effect what Splash is doing by bringing clean water to over half a million kids in 8 different countries and over 1500 schools, orphanages and hospitals. Splash’s mission connected with me on a deeper level.

Over the next 3 years, thanks to a couple of significant grants, they are targeting to develop clean sanitation and water to all public school in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Kolkata (India). We are talking over a million kids. In order to track all these programs in hundreds of school and their progress, I am helping them implement a robust and reliable data pipeline and infrastructure system. I love sharing my expertise with and spending my time assisting the Splash team with technology selection and implementation designs.

In addition to volunteering my time, if my climb (through raising awareness and funds) can help improve the situation, in the short and long term for thousands of children in the places that are the homes of some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, then it is a truly amazing cause to be a part of and sponsor. And because I work with Splash.org on their data pipeline, I can vouch and guarantee to you all that the fund raised through the fundraiser will directly go to help kids and provide them clean water for the whole year. (DONATIONS, are matched, thus doubling your impact on hundreds of children)

Now, how can Splash bring restaurant quality water at a fraction of the cost in far away country without proper community and municipal water treatment facility and infrastructure?

Splash conducts its work for a fraction of the cost of typical approaches. Municipal capital projects are extensive, expensive and time-consuming. Well digging is more expensive, and doesn’t typically fit urban environments. Through point-of-use filtration, Splash keeps costs low and quality high. A key ingredient in Splash’s model is to leverage supply chains built for larger customers. Splash can repurpose existing supply chains of top quality filtration to the poorest populations.

Splash water purification systems use surprisingly little electricity and create little water waste. No new chemicals are introduced into the environment. Instead, Splash reclaims water that was contaminated and makes it safe again—directing the remaining “gray water” where it needs to go.

If you want to read more about all aspects of the Splash filtering system technology and supply chain, you can find more at this page: https://splash.org/technology

In future blog posts I will also cover

· How do they choose which urban areas to cover?

· How do they work on the ground?

· How do they know whether habits and behaviors are changing regarding sanitation and health?

· What have I personally learned working with the Splash team?

I hope you found these topics interesting. As always, don't hesitate to add comments and questions to this post. I will be glad to respond the best I can.

Thierry