Vegan and mountaineer Kuntal Joisher has fulfilled his personal ambition and made history by climbing the summit of Everest without the use of any animal products in his equipment and clothing. Joisher had climbed Everest before in 2016, but although his diet was vegan, some of the equipment was not. After the ascent, he said that his goal was to repeat the climb “like a real 100 percent vegan.”
Joisher was able to achieve his goal after he discovered the company, with whom he subsequently worked to create clothing suitable for vegan climbing. He also designed his own gloves, which were made with the help of a local tailor.
As Joisher told Portal, from gloves to thermal underwear, socks and boots, even toothpaste, sunscreen and hand sanitizer, everything was vegan.
Climbing difficulties
The most serious difficulty that Joisher had to face during the ascent was the weather conditions, which did their best to prevent the climbers. In addition, the ascent was made from the north side. But Joisher was even happy that he chose the north side, which is known for its wayward weather. This allowed him to demonstrate that vegan food and equipment can help you survive even in the most hostile conditions on the planet. And not just survive, but brilliantly cope with their task.
The ascent, which took place in the North Col at an altitude of 7000 meters, was by no means easy. The winds were simply unimaginable and often turned into small tornadoes. The climbers’ tents were well protected by a large wall of glacial formations, yet the wind constantly strove to break them. Joisher and his neighbor had to grab the edges of the tent every few minutes and hold it up to keep it steady.
At one point, such a gust of wind hit the camp that the tent collapsed on the climbers, and they were locked in this trap until the wind died down. Joisher and his friend tried to straighten the tent from the inside, but to no avail – the poles broke. And then a new gust of wind fell upon them, and everything repeated.
During this whole ordeal, although the tent was half torn, Joisher did not feel the cold. For this, he is grateful to the sleeping bag and suit from Save The Duck – both, of course, were made of synthetic materials.
Vegan food in ascent
Joisher also revealed what he ate during his ascent. At base camp, he usually eats freshly prepared food and always draws the chefs’ attention to the fact that he needs vegetarian options – for example, pizza without cheese. He also makes sure that the pizza base is made entirely from flour, salt and water, and that the sauce does not contain any ingredients of animal origin.
Joisher talks to the chefs and explains to them why he needs it. When they learn about his views on animal rights, they usually begin to support his aspirations. Joisher hopes that, thanks to his efforts, in the future vegan climbers will not have to face such difficulties, and it will be enough for them to simply say: “We are vegans” or “We are like Joisher!”.
During his ascent, Joisher also consumed Nutrimake meal replacement powder, which contains 700 calories per package and the right balance of macronutrients. Joisher ate this powder every morning with his regular breakfast, adding up to about 1200-1300 calories. The vitamin and mineral blend helped boost his immunity, the generous dose of fiber kept his gut healthy, and the protein content kept his muscles fit.
Joisher was the only climber on the team who did not catch any infection, and he is sure that the Nutrimake supplement is to be thanked for.
Recovery
Deaths are not uncommon while climbing Everest, and climbers often lose fingers and toes. Joisher got in touch with the Great Vegan Athletes portal from Kathmandu and appeared to be in surprisingly good shape after the climb.
“I’m fine. I watched my diet, my diet was balanced and with enough calories, so I did not lose too much body weight, ”he said.
Due to weather conditions, the ascent continued for more than 45 days, and the last four to five days of climbing were quite intense, especially due to the high number of accidents and deaths on the mountain.
It took Joisher a lot of concentration to keep himself in shape and make a safe ascent and descent, but the effort was not in vain. Now the whole world knows that you can stay vegan even in the most extreme conditions!