Flying Off Everest (24 page)

“I am not special,” he says later, reflecting on his and Babu’s expedition, thinking of how a kiwi farmer who couldn’t swim and a kayaker who couldn’t climb somehow managed the impossible. How they flew off Everest and then paddled to the sea.

“I set a challenge for myself, and that’s the important thing,” Lakpa says, interpreting both the meaning and reasoning behind what he and Babu had done. “I don’t want to tell my children what to do with their lives. I want to show them. I want to show them that whatever they want to do—they must do it.”

This book exists because of the amazing feats, generosity, insight, and patience of others—many others. First and foremost, I am indebted to both Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar, who, after climbing Everest, flying off of it, and paddling to the ocean, somehow managed to not only survive, but sit cheerily through countless hours of tedious interviews with me. It is a feat beyond reckoning. Their kindness, patience, and bravery know no bounds.

Almost everyone included within the pages of this book went out of their way to assist in the making of it, particularly (in alphabetical order by first name) Alex Treadway, Balkrishna Basel (Baloo), Charley Gaillard, David Arrufat, Erik Boomer, Hamilton Pevec, Kelly and Nim Magar, Kili Sherpa, Kimberly Phinney, Krishna Sunuwar, Mahendra Thapa, Pete Astles, Phu Dorji Sherpa (Ang Bhai), Ryan Waters, Shri Hari Shresthra, Susmita Sunuwar, Wildes Antonioli (Mukti), and Yanjee Sherpa. This book would not have been possible without their assistance.

Many people not included within the text also played a vital role in my ability to report it, including (in alphabetical order by first name) Anup Gurung, David Michael Smith, Grayson Schaffer, Lalit Tamang, Mark Gunlogson, and Sagar Poudyal. Each provided valuable logistical support and sound practical advice that I would have been lost without. To Sagar Poudyal, in particular, I owe an extreme debt of gratitude for helping me arrange numerous key interviews in Nepal, oftentimes bringing me to them himself, with me sitting white-knuckled on the back of his motorcycle. No words would be on these pages without him.

This book wouldn’t be what it is without the help of my fellow writers Eugene Buchanan, Joe Glickman, and Jon Turk, who all helped me in drafting the initial proposal. Similarly, I owe many thanks to
Falcon’s former senior acquisitions editor John Burbidge, who initially accepted it and had enough faith in the story and myself to send me to Nepal to report it. Thanks are also owed to editor Katie Benoit and copyeditor Sarah Zink, who significantly polished the story and consistently provided sound practical advice through each stage of the drafting process. Additional thanks to Jeff Moag, editor at
Canoe & Kayak
magazine, for publishing the first article I wrote about Lakpa and Babu’s expedition.

I, of course, was influenced greatly by the published work of others, namely (in alphabetical order by title)
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2’s Deadliest Day,
by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan;
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest’s Most Controversial Season,
by Nick Heil;
Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes,
by Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver;
Ganga: A Journey Down the Ganges River,
by Julian Crandall Hollick;
Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River,
by Peter Heller;
The Himalayan Database: The Expedition Archives of Elizabeth Hawley,
by Elizabeth Hawley;
Himalayan Whitewater,
by Peter Knowles and Darren Clarkson-King;
In Cold Blood,
by Truman Capote;
Into Thin Air,
by Jon Krakauer;
Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering,
by Sherry B. Ortner;
Nepal in Transition: From People’s War to Fragile Peace,
by Sebastian von Einsiedel, David M. Malone, and Suman Pradhan;
The Snow Leopard,
by Peter Matthiessen; and
The State and Society in Nepal: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Trends,
by Prayag Raj Sharma.

During the drafting process I came to rely on the clear-sighted advice of several trusted readers: Dave Shively, managing editor at
Canoe & Kayak,
provided remarkably detailed line edits on each chapter draft; Kyle Dickman, a remarkably talented writer
,
read through each chapter and provided consistent direction; Brandon Keinath, a wizard by all standards, not only provided thoughtful line edits, but helped keep me in good humor—a great trick when writing your first
book; Guenther Hobart looked very closely at every word, whether I wanted him to or not…

Heartfelt thanks are owed to my parents, Tom and Wendy, as well as my brother and sister-in-law, Ryan and Rachel, who have always stood by me and supported me in my own adventures.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the love of my life, Natasha, who has proved to be not only my harshest critic, but also my best editor, staunchest supporter, and greatest friend. This was all for you, you know.

acclimatization,
52
,
79
,
83
,
86
–
87

Action Asia,
120

Ang Bhai

altitude sickness,
85

equipment,
82

Everest, ascent of,
xii
–
xiii
,
85
–
86
,
95

Everest, descent from,
110
–
12

expedition, plans for,
77
–
78

safety concerns,
88
–
89

Antonioli, Wildes (Mukti),
101
,
115
–
17
,
127
–
30
,
174
,
182
,
185

Arnette, Alan,
86

Arrufat, David

blog post,
121
–
23

expedition, end of,
179

glider,
53
,
54
–
55

moviemaking plans,
115
–
16
,
127
–
30
,
182
,
185

paragliding,
41
,
42
,
101
,
108
,
112

publicity efforts,
179
–
80
,
181

Arrufat, Wildes.
See
Antonioli, Wildes (Mukti)

Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors (APPI),
41
,
87
,
121
–
23
,
128
–
29
,
183
,
185

Astles, Pete,
36
–
39
,
42
,
43
–
44
,
117
–
18
,
132
,
137

award,
173
–
78
,
185
–
86

Barish, David,
47

Basel, Balkrishna (Baloo),
81
,
87
–
88

Benegas, Damian,
xiii
,
108

bergschrund,
84

Bernbaum, Edwin,
64

bike ride to India,
151
–
52
,
153

Blue Sky Paragliding,
20
–
22
,
41

Boivin, Jean-Marc,
xiii
,
45
,
46
,
47
,
50
,
105

Boomer, Erik,
39
–
40
,
175
–
76

Boston Red Sox,
29
–
30

Buddhism, Tibetan,
64

Bull, Richard,
174
,
176
–
77

Camp I,
84
–
86

Camp II,
86
,
93

Camp III,
86
–
87
,
94

Camp IV,
93
–
95

Canoe & Kayak,
176
,
183
–
84

Chaurikharka, Nepal,
22
–
24

Chimborazo,
68

chortens,
78
,
79

Chu, Nima Wang,
xii
,
77
–
80
,
85
–
86
,
110
–
11
,
112

Climbing
magazine,
48

Clydesdale, Lord,
104
–
5

Colonica, Craig,
49

Cook, Frederick A.,
65

Coupe Icare (Icarus Cup),
115
–
17
,
129
,
183
,
184

Coxwell, Henry,
103
–
4

Cross Country,
112
,
123
,
179
,
183
–
84

Dalai Lama,
68
,
70
,
128

D’Arrigo, Angelo,
105

Dead Man’s Eddy,
136
,
137
–
38
,
141
–
44

Delsalle, Didier,
106

Denis, Sophie,
76
,
82
,
108
,
113

documentary,
115
–
17
,
127
–
30
,
182
–
83
,
184
–
85

“Downwind Dave,”
47

Dudh Kosi River,
38
–
39

East India Company,
164
–
65

Elizabeth II (Queen of England),
73

Erroz, Matias,
xiii

Everest, Mount

ascent, first successful,
72
–
74

British attempts to climb,
66
,
68
–
74

Camp I,
84
–
86

Camp II,
86
,
93

Camp III,
86
–
87
,
94

Camp IV,
93
–
95

expedition costs, typical,
55

firsts/records,
89
–
91

fly-over attempts,
104
–
6

height,
62
,
63
,
67
–
68

names for,
63
–
65

summit, climb to,
95
–
97

weather window for climbing,
45
,
83
–
84
,
92
–
93

Everest Base Camp

about,
75
–
76
,
81
–
84

walk to,
78
–
80

Exodus Rafting,
34

Falconer, Squash,
45
,
52
,
76
,
86
,
87
,
91
–
92

Farakka Barrage,
164
–
67

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI),
106

First World War,
66
–
67

Free Flight International Film Festival,
115
–
17
,
129
,
183
,
184

funding,
56
,
77
,
81
,
124
,
167
,
180
.
See also
sponsors

Gaillard, Charley,
33
–
37
,
39
–
41
,
53
,
130
,
145

Ganesh Kayak Shop,
33
,
35
,
37
,
41
,
53
,
130
–
31

Ganga, Mother (Hindu goddess),
158
–
60

Ganges River

Farakka Barrage,
164
–
67

Hindu myth about,
158
–
60

human bodies floating down,
161

kayaking,
161
–
64
,
166
–
68
,
169
–
70

maps, lack of,
154
,
157

pollution of,
160
–
61

Gasherbrum II,
47
,
50

geology of Indian subcontinent,
61
–
62

Gevaux, Pierre,
47

Giorgio, Paul,
29
–
30

glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF),
135
–
36

Glaisher, James,
103
–
4

glider,
54
–
55
,
80
–
81
,
87

Gondwana,
61

GPS tracker,
59
,
81
,
101
–
2
,
121
,
144
,
158

Grylls, Edward “Bear,”
105
–
6

Gurumg, Devika,
128

Halsei Mahadev,
124
–
25

Hanuman Airlines
(documentary),
115
–
17
,
127
–
30
,
182
–
83
,
184
–
85

harnesses,
82
–
83

High Altitude Dreams (HAD),
29
–
30
,
55

Hillary, Edmund,
72
–
74
,
84
,
96

Himalaya,
56
,
62
,
89
.
See also
Everest, Mount

Himalayan River Girls,
146

Himalayan Trailblazer,
76
,
77
,
78
,
114
,
180

Himalayan Trust,
22

Himalayan Whitewater Challenge,
39
,
53
,
146
–
47

Hindu mythology,
158
–
60

Hitch, Rick,
87

Honnold, Alex,
176

Icarus Cup (Coupe Icare),
115
–
17
,
129
,
183
,
184

Imja Tse,
79
–
80

India

bike ride to,
151
–
52
,
153

kayaking in,
153
–
54
,
155
–
58
,
161
–
64
,
166
–
68
,
169
–
70

Indian subcontinent geology,
61
–
62

International Mountain Guides (IMG),
82
,
86
,
87
,
108

Irvine, Andrew “Sandy,”
70
,
71

Island Peak,
79
–
80

Isserman, Maurice,
89

Jaws (eddy),
136
,
138
–
39
,
140
–
41

Jungle Corridor,
148
–
49

K2,
46

Kathmandu, Nepal,
10
–
13
,
27
,
117

kayaking

equipment for,
43
–
44
,
117
–
18

in India,
153
–
54
,
155
–
58
,
161
–
64
,
166
–
68
,
169
–
70

in Nepal,
140
–
44
,
147
–
49

preparation for,
131
–
33
,
136
–
37

Knowles, Peter,
135

Koirala, B. P.,
64

Kumal, Tarka,
135
–
36

Lukla, walk to,
114
–
15

lunar eclipse, full,
163

Macartney-Snape, Tim,
168

Magar, Kelly,
53
–
54
,
130
,
155

Magar, Nim,
53
–
54
,
124
,
130
,
137
–
38
,
142
,
155

Mallory, George,
69
,
70
–
71

mani
stones,
78

Mauna Kea,
67

Maya, Ang,
124

McIntyre, David,
104
–
5

McKinley, Mount,
68

McKinney, Steve,
49
–
50

McLean, Leonardo,
xiii

media coverage,
179
–
82
,
183
–
84

Mercer, Mount,
47

Miura, Yuichiro,
90

Moffatt, Gerry,
39
,
40

Morris, James,
73

Mountain Blackstone,
77

Mountain Institute,
64

Mountain Professionals,
76

mountains, tallest,
51
,
62
,
67
–
68

movie,
115
–
17
,
127
–
30
,
182
–
83
,
184
–
85

mythology, Hindu,
158
–
60

Namgyal Monastery Audio Visual Archive Center,
128

Nanga Parbat,
62

Nasonova, Elvira,
51
–
52

National Geographic Adventure,
181
–
82

National Geographic

Adventurer of the Year

Award,
173
–
78
,
185
–
86

Nepal

child brides,
145

economics,
10

import tax,
54
,
118

kayaking in,
140
–
44
,
147
–
49

politics and government,
9
,
10

Nepali Times,
147
,
186

Nima, Tsering,
77
,
114

Niviuk,
54
–
55
,
80
–
81
,
87
,
173

Noel, John,
66
,
71

Norgay, Tenzing,
72
–
74
,
84
,
96

North Pole,
65

Northwest Mountaineering Journal,
47
–
48

Odell, Noel,
71

oxygen, lack of,
102
–
4

Paddle Nepal,
53
,
54
,
117
–
18
,
130
,
147
,
155

paddles, loss and recovery of,
149
,
152
–
53

Pahari, Madhukar,
118
,
130
,
132
,
140
,
142
–
43
,
155

paragliding