There’s something about Mount Everest (8,848 metres) that repeatedly attracts members of the military to its slopes. No strangers to a challenge and hardship, soldiers have been testing themselves on the world’s highest mountain for decades. Perhaps it’s the pull of an extreme environment, or perhaps it is the thrill of seemingly insurmountable odds that brings enlisted men and women to the Khumbu looking for adventure.
The Soldiering Tradition
George Mallory’s fateful 1924 expedition was lead by General Bruce; Sir Edmund Hillary was in the Royal New Zealand Air Force; and Bear Grylls trained with the UK Special Forces before his television career and his ascent of Mount Everest at the age of 23. But the army’s connection goes far deeper than the visits of Westerners to Mount Everest. Nepal’s soldiering tradition is almost part of the landscape. In villages across Annapurna and along the trails of the Everest Base Camp Trek, you can find monuments to – and celebrations of – the many Gurkha troops recruited to the British Army. Hardy young Nepalese men still train and compete for the immense privilege of serving abroad. The Ghurkhas have been serving with Indian and British forces since the early 1800s, but have made the news recently thanks to Joanna Lumley’s Gurkha Justice Campaign, when she fought for their right to retire in Britain after serving.
A Long Walk with One Leg
As well as being a place of adventure for many soldiers, the dramatic and beautiful path of the Everest Base Camp Trek can also be a path to recovery. Royal Marine, Nick Gibbons, was hurt during active duty in Afghanistan and lost part of his right leg. He was on patrol in Helmand in 2008 when he was hit by an explosion. It took five operations and some tough physiotherapy to get him back walking, and before long he had walked from Lukla airport to Everest Base Camp (5360 m) on his new prosthetic. In January this year, he was back training with a Commando unit in Norway.
It is brave souls like Nick that motivate people to raise money for charitable causes by following in his footsteps to Everest. One example is a Literature lecturer from Newport who will be walking the Everest Base Camp Trek this February to raise money for “Help for Heroes”, choosing this charity because of his connection with the Territorial Army.
Base Camp Border Police
There have been plenty more sightings of the army on Everest. In September 2009, members of the Indian army – the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) – made the news by announcing plans for a record-breaking, ecological Mount Everest expedition. Their aim was to simultaneously conduct a clean-up effort while attempting a world record ski run from the summit of Everest down to Everest Base Camp.
It was a daring plan, especially with the knowledge that many similar attempts to ski down Everest have resulted in failure and serious injury. The ITBP took on the expedition aiming to improve their “survival strategy” and “operational preparedness” as well as an environmental mission to clear some of the refuse that has been allowed to accumulate on the mountain.
Eight of the team planned to ski down from the summit, with the other twenty climbers hauling the rubbish they have collected from the top down to Everest Base Camp. Unfortunately, bad weather meant they had to abandon their ascent before they reached their objective. Sometimes even the precision of military planning cannot overcome the unpredictable and unforgiving nature of the weather around the world’s highest peak.
Jude Limburn Turner is the Marketing Manager for Mountain Kingdoms, an adventure tour company who have run the Everest Base Camp Trek for over 20 years. They now offer treks and tours worldwide, including destinations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Central and South East Asia.
