Everest spring season coming to the end. Kebanyakan team telah tinggalkan basecamp dan membongkar semua khemah untuk dibawa keluar
.
While ada beberapa team lagi yang membuat summit bid pada hujung season. Beberapa hari lepas Kristin Harila berlepas untuk ke puncak. Tapi update pada jam 12malam tadi 27 May, Krisitin kembali ke basecamp dari Camp 3. Dia tidak berjaya ke puncak
.
Di North side Tibet, Alpenglow Expedition sedang melakukan summit push pada hari ini
.
Sementara itu, I’m always here in Malaysia setiap kali Everest season😊 Belum berpeluang untuk ke sana. Tapi saya ingin memberikan sedikit ulasan untuk season kali ini. Nak buat ulasan kan senang, tak payah susah-susah panjat😅. Sama la macam pengulas bola kannn
.
Okay, seperti kebiasaan, cabaran sebenar Everest ialah cuaca terutama kelajuan angin. Daripada report yang saya baca, angin kuat berterusan sepanjang pendakian kali ini namun lebih 500orang telah berjaya ke puncak
.
Pelbagai pencapaian dan record dicatatkan, tapi ada 3 pendakian yang menarik perhatian saya

1. Pendakian pantas Andrew Ushakov yang bermula dari New York ke puncak Everest dalam tempoh 3hari 23jam

2. Satu lagi pendakian pantas 4 pendaki selama 5 hari bermula dari UK dengan menggunakan Xenon gas

3. Sebalik dua rekod pendakian pantas, tahun ini juga satu pendakian paling panjang Mitch Hutchcraft yang bermula dari England dengan berenang di selat Inggeris kemudian berbasikal dan berlari hingga Nepal mulakan pendakian hingga Everest selama 240hari
.

Agak menarik untuk saya ulas tiga pendakian ini seperti berikut:

1. Saya seorang yang agak tradisional. Saya percaya kepada proses dan merasai cabaran pendakian. Saya mengambil masa 16 tahun bermula 2006 di mana saya mulakan Road to Everest, hanya pada 2022 saya berjaya mendaki gunung 8000meter pertama saya iaitu Gunung Manaslu 8163m dan kemudian Gunung K2 8611m. Everest? belum lagi😊

2. Kenapa 16 tahun? sebab pertama ialah kewangan. Tapi paling penting ialah saya ambil masa untuk mengetahui reaksi badan saya di setiap peringkat altitud. Saya pernah gagal di 5000m tapi saya perbaiki strategi di gunung lain yang lebih tinggi, dan berjaya hingga saya yakin mampu untuk mendaki 8000m. Ia adalah my journey ke puncak dunia

3. Tapi mungkin pendaki yang membuat rekod di atas juga ada pengalaman yang lama. Ya mungkin, cuma saya ingin katakan saya percaya pada proses. Ramai je pendaki yang baru bermula tapi berjaya ke Everest dalam 1-2 tahun

4. Jadi, apa yang saya ingin bangkitkan ialah semangat pendakian Everest itu tiada jika mendaki dalam 3-5hari dari negara asal

5. Proses mungkin berlaku semasa mereka di rumah, dengan hypoxic tent, pendakian dan pelbagai teknologi lain. Tapi tidak di Everest

6. Sementara pendaki lain berusaha keras dan mengalami proses di Everest untuk adaptasi, mereka tidak lakukan itu. Mereka tidak rasai pengalaman itu.

7. Saya tidak menolak penggunaan Xenon gas yang dikatakan lebih selamat, tapi sebaiknya tetap lakukan proses adaptasi di Everest seperti yang lain

8. Mungkin dengan Xenon gas boleh memendekkan expedition dari 50hari ke 20-30hari, dan ia bagus untuk environment, keselamatan dan pelbagai benefit lain. Tapi 3-5hari umpama melancong

9. Saya berpendapat bahawa gunung ini bukan sekadar tiba ke puncak. Perjalanan adalah lebih penting.

10. Apa yang pendaki cari ketika mendaki? Adakah hanya puncak atau perjalanan yang membina jiwa, jatidiri, menikmati dan mensyukuri juga mengagungkan Penciptanya

11. Ia agak terbalik dengan rekod yang dilakukan Mitch Hutchcraft. Walaupun ada juga kritikan tapi saya yakin pendakian beliau lebih bermakna
.
Apa kaitan dengan kita sebagai orang Malaysia?
Mereka telah membuat kejayaan dan mencipta rekod untuk diri dan negara mereka. Orang Malaysia juga harus melakukan sesuatu yang bertaraf dunia agar bangsa kita dikenali dan layak berdiri sama tinggi dengan mereka.

Kita juga mampu lakukan sesuatu yang hebat seperti mereka. Jangan memandang mereka tinggi hingga merendahkan diri sendiri, kerana MALAYSIA JUGA BOLEH!

Khafiz Al Kicok
ZEROTO8000

———————————————————

Everest Spring Season is almost over

Most of the climbing teams have already left Everest Basecamp and packed up all their tents.

But a few teams are still trying to reach the summit at the end of the season. A few days ago, Kristin Harila made her summit push. However, at midnight on May 27, there was an update that she had returned to basecamp from Camp 3. She didn’t reach the summit.

On the north side of Everest (in Tibet), Alpenglow Expedition is pushing to the summit today.

Meanwhile, I’m always here in Malaysia during Everest season. I haven’t had the chance to go yet. But I would like to share my thoughts about this season. It’s easy to give comments, right? No need to climb the mountain — just like football commentators don’t need to play the game!

As usual, the biggest challenge on Everest is weather, especially the strong winds. From the reports I’ve read, the wind stayed strong throughout this climbing season. Still, more than 500 people successfully reached the summit.

Many achievements and records were made. But three climbs really caught my attention:

1. Andrew Ushakov’s fast climb— from New York to the summit of Everest in 3 days and 23 hours

2. Another fast climb by 4 climbers who started in the UK and reached the summit in 5 days using Xenon gas to help.

3. Contradic with these two records, the longest journey this year — Mitch Hutchcraft started in England by swimming the English Channel, then cycling and running all the way to Nepal and climbed Everest. His journey took 240 days.

Here are my thoughts on these 3 climbs:

1. I’m a bit traditional. I believe in the process and the experience of climbing. It took me 16 years since 2006 when I started my “Road to Everest.” I finally climbed my first 8000m mountain in 2022 — Mount Manaslu (8163m), and then K2 (8611m). Everest? Not yet!

2. Why 16 years? The first reason is money. But more importantly, I needed time to understand how my body reacts to high altitude. I failed once at 5000m, but I improved and learned. Tried higher mountains and eventually, I was confident to go for 8000m peaks. It was my own journey to the top of the world.

3. Maybe those record climbers also had long experience. Maybe. But for me, I believe in the process. Of course, some new climbers succeed at Everest within 1–2 years.

4. What I want to say is — the Everest spirit is missing if someone climbs from their home country to the summit in just 3 to 5 days

5. Yes, maybe they trained at home with hypoxic tents or high-tech methods. But that’s not the same as experiencing Everest itself.

6. Other climbers work hard on the mountain to adapt to the altitude. But these fast climbers skip that process. They don’t feel the Everest.

7. I’m not against Xenon gas. Some say it’s safer. But I still believe all climbers should go through the proper acclimatization process on the Everest.

8. Sure, using Xenon gas might reduce the expedition length from 50 days to 20–30 days. That’s good for the environment and safety. But climbing in 3–5 days feels more like tourism

9. For me, Everest is not just about reaching the summit. The journey is more meaningful.

10. What do climbers really look for? Only the summit? Or is it the journey that builds the soul, identity, gratitude, and connection to the Creator?

11. Mitch Hutchcraft’s long journey feels different. Some people criticize it, but I believe his climb had deeper meaning

—

What does this mean for us Malaysians?

They’ve made great achievements and records for their countries. We Malaysians also need to do something world-class so our nation can be recognized and respected.

We can do world record too. Don’t look up to others so much that we forget our own strength — because MALAYSIA BOLEH!

Khafiz Al Kicok
ZEROTO8000