There's nothing called 'conquering' a mountain: Indian Navy mountaineers

An Indian Navy team scaled down the difficult North face of Mt Everest on May 25, the first armed forces team to do so. Hindustantimes.com arranged a chat with them as they reach a camp at a height of 5,200 metres above the sea level. They communicated using satellite phones from on May 25 at 1400 hrs IST.

laughingbuddha: How does the world look from that height?
Indian Navy Everest: The world looks very white and every distant from that height.

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devilish93: Where are you right now?
Indian Navy Everest: Right now we are at the base camp at Tibet at 5200 metres. From here we can see the entire North face of Mt. Everest.

devilish93: Several thousand feet below sea level and now 9000 feet above sea level, you guys have been there. What next?
Indian Navy Everest: Next we are looking at going back home, eating and sleeping for a while. I think there has been a lot of media hype and we won't be able to rest much.

nupur: Did you miss the sea while you are on Everest?
Indian Navy Everest: All of us belong us to the sea and 50% of us belong to under the sea. Himayalas as you know has come out of the sea and we are just coming back to our roots.

samir: What is the best view you have seen till now? Also how dangerous is it and finally is it worth it?
Indian Navy Everest: It was worth every step we took in the mountains. Yesterday we felt at the top of the world and we could see the top of the mountains all across of the world and below us. It was very risky, as the north side has very loose lime stones. None of my members had any doubt that we will go up and fly the tricolour and the naval sign.

sonam: What all difficulties did you encounter on your way to Everest?
Indian Navy Everest: Just for your knowledge, in case you are budding or an aspiring mountaineer, the hardest part is the administrative, logistic, financial aspects, etc. of the expedition. In this expedition particularly, the difficulties started around a year back - preparing papers, permits, equipments, etc. Once we left Delhi, it was smooth sailing till the base camp. We faced very long bad weather with poor visibility, low temperature, etc. We had to face avalanches and rock falls. The only difference at the altitude is that you are where you are not supposed to be. We call the zone (above 7000) as death zone.
Now we are all back safe and sound at the base camp.

laughingbuddha: What have you been eating all this while?
Indian Navy Everest: We have had a few bits of kinds of food. Once you are at a high altitude, you can only have liquid foods. There is something called sattus, porridge, corn flakes, etc. We also had some stuff from New Zealand that we imported. It was a confusing kind of food and we had what all we could. We mostly survived on fluids and one loses a lot of weight.

dimpy1234: Do sherpas play an important role in the expedition. How do they guide you?
Indian Navy Everest: Definitely! They play a very key and important role. It's almost impossible to carry on without their assistance. They have a very good capacity to carry weight and work well at high altitude. Without them I don't think we would have achieved this success.

laughingbuddha: Atop the highest peak in the world, how does it feel? Is it a humbling feeling or a feeling of greatness having conquered the summit?
Indian Navy Everest: There is nothing called conquering a mountain. It's a very humbling experience and you are thanking God that you are alive. It's a very humbling experience. It tells us how weak we are and how difficult it is for us to survive on top of the world (maybe for an hour or so). We thanked God and keeping us safe and now we are well back at base camp.

smita: How long did the total expedition take? Did you manage to exercise your vote?
Indian Navy Everest: LOL. We could not exercise our vote at all. We came here at the end of March and we will be back in Delhi only by June. It took us a little over two months.

nona15gunnu: What is the difference between the South and North face?
Indian Navy Everest: The main difference between the standard South and North route is that South face is much easier. The first is in Nepal and it is much easier. The North has more locks, mostly loose limestones. The last camp height in South is 7,200 meters in the north it is 8,300 meters. The pictures from the north side are entirely different from the south side.

jasmeen: How did Nitin Singh, probably the youngest member of your team, perform along with other team members?
Indian Navy Everest: I am Nitin. I am proud to be a part of the team as its youngest member. I am learning a lot from my seniors.

jagat: Who was given the honour of putting up the Indian Navy flag on Everest? Indian Navy Everest: The first ones were St. Lt. Viking Bhanu and Rakesh Kumar. They comprised the first summit party on 18th of May at around 0800 hours in the morning and they unfurled the tricolour and the naval signs on top.

ibek: How long did you take to reach the peak from the base camp?
Indian Navy Everest: The first team took around seven hours from the last camp to the summit. The next took around 10 hours. The next took around 8 hours. And the last one was I, and since I am the oldest and slowest, I took around 12 hours to reach the summit.

cornelius: How many 'summitted' in all?
Indian Navy Everest: We are total 11 'summitteers' in all. That makes us the most successful team on Everest this year. Five members of our team and six sherpas.

nona15gunnu: Cdr Dam, what according to you are the most vital skills that a mountaineer needs to possess?
Indian Navy Everest: Personality - determination, physical strength, moral and mental courage, a whole lot of patience and most importantly, he should enjoy physical torture (masochistic!). In a nutshell, these are the qualities that one should have. Others are team spirit, resourcefulness, good eyesight and a lot of body hair (for insulation and warmth). :-) It is very important to have family support - a lot of friends gave up mountaineering after marriage. So perhaps it helps to be a bachelor.

jassi: What all equipments did you carry?
Indian Navy Everest: It's very difficult to say. I could just tell you the broad category of equipment. Mountain hardware that has all metallic stuff piton, carbinera, jumar, etc. Tenting for shelter - different for each kind of camps. Huge amount of clothing and climbing boots. Lots of ropes, Oxygen bottles, masks and regulators, communication sets and radio sets for the team. We had altimeters, weather forecasting systems and satellite phones.

tanya: Navy is associated mostly with sea-based sports. It's good to hear that you are excelling on land as well. What makes your Indian Navy the best in the world?
Indian Navy Everest: I think it's the kind of people that we have. We are not the largest number of people and we don't have the best equipment. But it's the quality of people that makes us the best in the world. In the background of what we have achieved now, we have become actually allrounders.

Yakherder: There were newspaper reports that you took shelter in another team's camp on the way down. What happened?
Indian Navy Everest: I got very late in coming back from the summit. I had to spend another night at the camp at 8,300 meters. I had a problem in my eye and could not see. I had to spend another night there, which made me very weak. The next day I was coming down from 8,300 metres to the next camp. The weather there was atrocious with winds and very deep snow.

Previous day I had met a Korean climber who was dying and I gave all my water. There I found a British friend's tent where I had to take rest for an hour. This year there have been many deaths at the North side. The Korean leader died almost in my arms. I gave him all my water, spent time with him and gave him oxygen. This delayed my descent till well after 8 o'clock.

My team also did not know where I was. On 19th of May, the sherpas with me were also unwell that I had them sent back to the camp, and told them not to be with me. So I was all alone. I could do nothing for him except give him some relief.

This year has been one of the worst so far. Eight people have already dead (officially 9 but I am not sure), which includes two women. Majority of deaths have been due to bad weather. It's also due to accidents like falls. It's perhaps the worst on the North side. Never have so many people died from the North side before.

cornelius: The team deserves credit for the fact that there were no casualties. Do you agree?
Indian Navy Everest: We were very lucky and fortunate. We took precaution but I think the Gods were with us. Our team is totally unscratched and even the sherpas are safe. Our whole team is here and nobody has lost even the smallest part of the smallest finger.

laughingbuddha: How many of you are there in the team? Does every member have a role defined?
Indian Navy Everest: Absolutely, we had a team of 14 members. The role of each member was precisely discussed. Everyone has to rise to occasion and sometimes you have to do different things. We stuck to our roles as far as possible. Being a defense forces team, we are more disciplined than others so we could do the role in a lot more meticulous manner.

Yakherder: Cdr. Dam, you have a very impressive bio-data. What is your next venture going to be?
Indian Navy Everest: This question has come to me off late, quite often. If wishes were horses then I would attempt K2 from the North (China) side. And then to climb a top the highest peaks in all continents.

These are some of the projects that are in mind in future. But right now my next project is going home and getting good sleep.

cornelius: Cdr. Dam, in your interview with Citizens News reporter Manjulaa Negi, you describe the expedition as 'treacherous'. Why?
Indian Navy Everest: It is treacherous because of the altitude (you are not supposed to be there), on the Everest, which is so high, so it's an unknown zone.

You have no idea how your body will react to the extremely low pressure and low oxygen. You are risking yourself and surrendering yourself to elements. That's what makes the climb to the Everest so dangerous and treacherous.

Yakherder: What kind of insurance did you have, in terms of monetary compensation, in case of death? What is the rate of insurance for the sherpas?
Indian Navy Everest: The members were covered by defense insurance. For our sherpas and staff, they were insured from Nepal with high amount of premium and money. It's also not just for life, but also for disabilities. It's very well broken down.

ballu: What was the most memorable part of the trip?
Indian Navy Everest: I think reaching the top was the most memorable part of the trip. What provided us relief was coming back to the base camp in one piece. It's great to see the Everest everyday and to look back in great relief after coming back.

cornelius: Did the team have to open the route, or was it already done so by a previous team? How much fixed rope was used?
Indian Navy Everest: From advanced base camp to the camp it was opened by the mixture of teams. From that camp to the camp two, it was opened by us and a British team. We were the first ones to open the route. The ropes that we provided (around 700 meters) proved very handy for others. It made it very easy for others and they all came and thanked us. I think the Indian Navy played a very important role where it mattered.

Yakherder: Congrats, Viking! Have you spoken to your family in Lahaul yet? If so, what was their reaction?
Indian Navy Everest: Each one of the members has already spoken to the family many times. I think that's a common feeling (of pride and joy) amongst all families. We have had many team members from down south where the families might have never seen Himayalas so they are overjoyed that their sons have actually climbed the Everest.

akashvas: Cdr. Dam, how do you view Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister Of India? What is the temperature on Mt. Everest?
Indian Navy Everest: When we went up, the absolute temperature was -32 and wind chill factor was -65 (which is rather cold). As far as Dr. Manmohan Singh is concerned, I am not sure of what kind of PM he will make but he is a very learned man and calm and collected. As far as I am concerned, I had no role to play because I could not vote.

Yakherder: There is some controversy among mountaineers about a lot of rotten old fixed ropes on the last stretch to the summit. One Korean this year apparently died because he couldn't tell that he was choosing the old and rotten rope and not the new one that he was supposed to. You have been a few days ago. Can you describe it?
Indian Navy Everest: You are right. I also encountered many old ropes that broke but fortunately they held. Many of my other members were also lucky. But there were others who were not so lucky. We had put in a new rope for around 50 meters at the most dangerous part of the climb (second step), which made it a lot easier for others.

ballu: With so many teams operating from almost same base, how do you coordinate route and member safety?
Indian Navy Everest: Beyond 8,300 meters, the way is very narrow and you have to go along the same line. If you are a strong team then you should start early otherwise you can get delayed behind a slow team. If the strength and physical abilities are same so some teams go together. But we followed the early start route. It happened at the second step that we get caught behind a slow climber and we had no scope to overtake. There is no hard and fast rule. You just pray that nobody comes your way.

akashvas: Do you think that the new Ministry of Sports should facilitate mountaineering as a special sport?
Indian Navy Everest: It should. I will send in a recommendation. They have not facilitated mountaineering so far. They have not really been forthcoming for the last couple of years. I think it's a controversial topic so I wont get into much. I think support is required because it's a very expensive sport. Being the head of the sport at the Navy, I will do my bit and send in a recommendation.

dimpy1234: How important was this expedition to you in terms of bringing you together as a team?
Indian Navy Everest: Actually we were already a team because we have been preparing for Mt. Everest for the last 2 and half years. We have already climbed four mountains and we have been a good and cohesive team. We have saved each others' lives. This has been the highlight of each of our mountaineering career (being on Mt. Everest). Everyone contributed equally for the success of the team. The memory of this expedition will remain with us forever and hopefully with all of you also.

ibek: Did you meet a yeti on the way up?
Indian Navy Everest: I wish I had because yeti has been an interesting topic for me. I have seen yeti's footsteps before and his head at a monastery. One of our members who is big made dressed as a yeti and tried to scare us, but it was a just good laugh. We have been playing a lot of scrabble in the base camp and we have been using the world yeti quite often. We hope to reach one soon. ;-)

ballu: Every expedition has a favourite laugh on the mountains. What was yours?
Indian Navy Everest: There is a monastery here (near the base camp) called the Rong Buk monastery. The head Lama caught Mr. Sandhu, he says that in the previous birth he said that he was a Lama here before. That was one of the hilarious moments of our trip. There's a restaurant in Kathmandu (Rum Doodle) that gives a lifetime free food to anyone who climbs Everest (one meal a day). One of the members has vowed that he will empty the restaurant in the days that he is in Kathmandu. When we come back to Delhi, we look forward to find such a restaurant there!

Yakherder: Your climb was shown on Doordarshan. Who did the filming? Till what height was that camera taken?
Indian Navy Everest: Yiking Bhanu, Abhishek and Satish. We have the footage of the entire climb and it went upto Everest. Hopefully the film will be telecasted all over so you can see us huffing and puffing till all the way to the top.

tenzing: Any female members in your team?
Indian Navy Everest: We had quite a few female members in other team who joined us. Jokes apart, we did not have female members in the team was because of me because I don't like women in mountains. There was a pressure to include them. Otherwise I am very happy with them.

ibek: Have you had a word with Admiral Madhavendra Singh from the mountaintop?
Indian Navy Everest: We told him that the tricolour and the Indian naval sign is flying at the top of the world. It made him proud. It was his vision which lead us here. And we did it! He was in conversation with the base camp precisely at the time when the first members of the team were unfurling the flag at the summit.

Yakherder: How come no armed forces team from India has ever gone to Everest without female members?
Indian Navy Everest: I really can't answer for others but I have answered for myself ;-) The reason could be the question of distraction. Instead of looking at the summit, your eyes could sway somewhere. That could become a very trying situation for the leader.

rohit: How will the change in Defense leadership affect the future expeditions?
Indian Navy Everest: Rohit, I guess you are a Bengali. We have just had this discussion - the new leader is a Bengali. They have a spirit of adventure. I think we will be encouraged to take more such sports in future. We were just discussing this yesterday and all of us came to the conclusion that the support will increase for such expeditions.

Thank you so much for joining us! It was a wonderful experience to be talking to you while you are on "top of the world". Will you like to leave a message for those who joined us today?
Indian Navy Everest: I would like to thank all of you on behalf of my team. I am grateful for all the support, encouragement and good word for all of us. I thank you for the way the whole country has reacted to us.
We expect to be in Delhi on June 7, 2004 and we will share about all our experiences. We are extremely happy that we could make you proud of our achievements. I will like to assure you that we are the best navy in world and we can do anything! Jai Hind!