{"id":20165,"date":"2023-06-01T15:49:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T15:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/this-is-vegan.com\/?p=20165"},"modified":"2023-06-14T19:20:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T19:20:02","slug":"vegan-on-the-mount-everest-extreme-mountaineer-kuntal-joisher-in-the-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/this-is-vegan.com\/en\/vegan-on-the-mount-everest-extreme-mountaineer-kuntal-joisher-in-the-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan on the Mount Everest – extreme mountaineer Kuntal Joisher in the interview"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Indian climber Kuntal Joisher<\/strong> was the first person to<\/strong> climb Mount Everest completely vegan<\/strong>. Both his diet<\/strong> and all of his equipment<\/strong> are free of animal ingredients<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2014, during his first Everest expedition, an avalanche swept 16 climbers to the depths; a year later, during his second attempt, a severe earthquake caused the mountain to tremble, with 21 people losing their lives. Joisher narrowly escapes again, yet knows he will return. On May 23, 2019, at -50\u00b0C, the extreme athlete reaches the summit of the highest mountain in the world<\/strong>. Completely vegan.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this interview, he tells us why he did it, what his most dangerous situations<\/strong> on the expedition were, what he did first on the summit, why he lives vegan, and why Oreo cookies and Coke are on his menu<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why did you climb the highest Mount Everest?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kuntal Joisher:<\/strong> I have now climbed four 8000m peaks (Manaslu in October 2014, Everest via the South Col route in May 2016, Lhotse via the Normal route in May 2018 and finally Everest via the North Col route in May 2019). However, mountaineering was never part of my life. At the beginning of my life, I dreamed of software technology. I wrote my first piece of software code in 1993, when I was in 8th grade. Somehow I knew I would be doing this for the rest of my life. And that is what I am doing today. I am a software engineer by profession.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountaineering, however, is a whole different story. In my craziest dreams I could not have imagined mountain climbing. There is no one in my entire family, extended family, or for that matter, my entire community, who has ever climbed mountains. The love of Everest possibly began for me as a teenager when I saw the PBS documentary Nova Everest, and I was fascinated by Everest. At the time, I had no idea what it would take to climb to the top of Everest – I just wanted to do it – it’s that simple. I had no inclination to pursue mountaineering or climbing as a passion. I may not have even understood what “passion” really meant, or there may have even been a word like “mountaineering.” I was happy in my world of friends and cricket, and that was all that mattered to me. But those images of the fearsome Khumbu Icefall and the magnificent 3000-foot ice wall of the Lhotse Face, the treacherous Hillary Step, stuck somewhere in my subconscious.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up until a decade ago, if someone told me I was going to quit my job and become a mountaineer, I would have said, “What kind of drugs do you do?”
If someone had told me I was going to embark on a treacherous dream of climbing Mt. Everest, I would have said, “Are you crazy?” I was just a carefree software engineer, the guy next door who ran the nine-to-five rat race and lived a perfectly normal life. But one day that changed….<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The most decisive moment of my life <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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My wife Dipti and I decided to take a vacation in Shimla in 2009. Shimla is located in the Indian Himalayas. We had a simple goal – we wanted to see snow. And that’s why we decided to go in the middle of winter. Six days passed and there was no sign of snow. On the last day of the trip, we decided to drive about 80 km north of Shimla to a place called Narkanda because a friend told us that snow would definitely be found there. After a long scenic drive on the old Hindustan-Tibet highway, we finally reached the place – a picturesque town in the Himalayas. And yes, there was snow. Dipti and I were both ecstatic. We were like little kids in a candy store. We played in the snow-angels, snowballs and all those things. We both sat down quietly and soaked in the beauty and grandeur of nature – and in that moment I felt something I had never felt before in my life. All the thinking about the past and worrying about the future melted away and the present moment was completely focused and I felt alive. I could hear my own breathing. Breathing is such an important function for human life, but I always took it for granted. And then I could hear my heart. Every single heartbeat. It was magical! For the first time in my life, I was at peace with myself, and I felt real, deep happiness. And at that moment, I decided that for the rest of my life – I was determined to follow that state of mind whenever I had the opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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If you ask me about that one defining moment that changed my entire life – it has to be the one above. I knew that I would be in the mountains for many, many, many more years chasing that state of mind, which I would do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing my mountain journey, a few months later I signed up for a trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal in October 2010. After a few days of hiking through one of the most spectacular Himalayan landscapes, we reached the base camp of a mountain called Pumori – the daughter of Everest. When evening came, our team had already gathered in the dining tent, which was an absolute luxury at 18000 meters! And then I heard loud noises outside the dining tent. Someone called my name. That’s usually not a good thing, so I ran outside….<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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And then I saw the most magical scene of my life. The last light of the sunset fell directly on Everest. The other mountains were faded in the evening colors, but Everest burned with golden color, as if someone had set fire to the snow.<\/span><\/p>\n

And right at that moment – I had found my dream. I promised myself that one day I would come back and climb to the top of Everest!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What was the most important part of your training in preparation for Mount Everest?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kuntal Joisher:<\/strong> I understand that climbing the highest mountains in the world, like Mt. Everest is one of the toughest challenges and that I need to be in the best mental and physical condition of my life. And so I train hard 6 days a week. At the same time, a big aspect of success on big mountains is mental toughness. As the saying goes – “It’s all in the mind,” and I’ve experienced that firsthand on several of my climbs. <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\"I believe the key to achieving ironclad mental toughness is to put yourself in difficult situations and confront and overcome your fears!\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKuntal Joisher<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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So I spend a significant time of the year hiking and climbing in the mountains near my home and in the Himalayas. Climbing and training on big mountains in the most hostile conditions of the year is what I consider good mental training. However, I can’t spend all my time in the Himalayas. So when I’m at home, I continue to do mental training. For example, I go on long, hard hikes without drinking water or eating anything. The idea is that something can go wrong when climbing a mountain like Everest. I can get lost, run out of food and water, and there can be any number of scenarios. Therefore, it is wise to train for such situations.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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At the same time, I knew that if I were to succeed in climbing this mountain and coming back down alive in one piece, I would have to be in the best shape of my life – physically, technically, and especially mentally. The burning desire to stand on the “Top of the World” helped me to tackle the first two problems. However, I lacked the mental fitness to make it to the top. My greatest weakness was homesickness. Yes, you heard right: homesickness. I went on a climbing trip, and about halfway through, I thought about my father and wife and made up excuses to go home. I remember once saying to myself, “This snow slope looks avalanche prone, I need to stop and go home.” I had no idea about this slope! The rest of my team made it to the top. I regret the decision to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\"People who decide to climb Everest are crazy. Rationally and logically, no one does that.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKuntal Joisher<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Training until you pass out - the Mount Everest Workout<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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And one of the main reasons it took me a while to sign up for an Everest climb was that I knew I wasn’t ready. That’s when I decided to make changes. I began to emotionally detach from my family and friends. I went on mountain tours and rarely called home. Even when I was at home, I just completely shut down from my family life. I had no personal life. ZERO. And I started to train harder and harder. Several times I felt like I was going to faint. And sometimes I stopped, but at other points I continued to push my limits. I became mentally strong. Finally, I climbed three 20,000+ foot peaks in two months and knew I was ready to climb Everest. That was in 2013. Since then, my training has only gotten harder, and I don’t remember having a serious relationship with anyone in my family. WITH NO ONE. And now that I’ve climbed my dream mountain and I’m climbing more and more, I realize what I paid for it. I did not die. I have not lost any fingers. Heck, I didn’t even have a sunburn on my face. Of course, I didn’t have one either. I had trained harder than most people, at least I would like to think so. And now that Everest is no longer in my life, there is a huge amount of emotional emptiness. And I feel that this is the price I paid for climbing Everest.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How did you come to eat a vegan diet?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kuntal Joisher:<\/strong> I was born in a vegetarian family and consequently grew up as a vegetarian. I have always believed that “animals are sentient and emotional beings with individual character and have as much right to a free and happy life as we do.” Then I moved to the United States in August 2001 to get my master’s degree. At the end of 2002, my roommate at the university told me all about the horrors of the egg, dairy and leather industries. After that conversation, I connected the dots that a piece of meat, a cake baked from eggs, a glass of milk, a block of cheese or a leather belt or the down jacket I was wearing – are all the same and come from abused animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about where the milk we consume comes from…. Cows are always impregnated, their babies stolen and slaughtered for meat just so you can have their milk! Or think about eggs – male chicks are worthless to the egg industry, so every year millions of them are suffocated or thrown into high-speed mills and shredded while they are still alive. The birds are so closely packed together that they are forced to urinate and defecate on each other. Diseases are rampant in the dirty, cramped barns and many birds die! What about the leather belt or the feather jacket? These are made from the hides of cattle, horses, sheep, lambs, goats, pigs, elephants, snakes and feathers from chickens, geese, etc., all slaughtered to make you look good.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then I learned more shocking facts. Animals raised for meat, eggs, and milk account for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, consume about 70% of agricultural land, and are a major cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. After knowing all this, I lost my sleep and peace of mind. I couldn’t reconcile myself with the fact that as a vegetarian I was continuing to contribute to immense amounts of animal abuse, cruelty, slaughter, and destruction of the planet, so I had to take a stand. That was the moment I became vegan.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Bergsteiger\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vegan life - the attitude to life of extreme mountaineer Kuntal Joisher<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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For me, veganism means liberating animals and saving animal lives. That is the most important thing. The animals are here and share the planet with us, they are not here to be used by us. At the same time, if you understand the fact that animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, consuming the largest amount of food on the planet, resulting in forest land being converted to agricultural land to produce food for animals, large amounts of biodiversity and rainforest clearing, the planet’s water resources being under tremendous stress, then becoming vegan makes extreme sense, both for the animals and for the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

We as consumers have the power to change the world. What we buy is produced. When we buy more animal-free products, fewer animal suffering products are produced.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\"Every animal wants to live, just like we do. Every animal loves, just like us. And every animal feels the same pain we do!\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKuntal Joisher<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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I learned the true meaning of the words empathy and compassion the day I decided to become vegan about 17 years ago. It was the beginning of a new journey – like a rebirth. And it was the best decision I made in my entire life.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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How exactly do you eat on such an extreme expedition?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kuntal Joisher:<\/strong> At the end of 2002, I decided to become vegan. I have been vegan for 17 years now. Sometime in 2009, when I realized that climbing Mount Everest was the biggest dream of my life, I told myself that I would climb Everest as a vegan or not climb it at all. Most people in the high-altitude mountaineering world might think I’m crazy, since the recommended diet for extreme mountaineering expeditions includes salami, cheese, processed meats, eggs, and dairy. I can’t eat any of those high fat, high protein animal products. However, my diet was never a problem. I’ve been on over 25 serious Himalayan climbing expeditions now, and I’ve never had a problem being vegan, not even on this latest ascent of Mount Everest from the Chinese side in May 2019! As such, making climbing expedition food vegan is not that difficult. I have successfully worked with expedition operators’ kitchen staff in the high Himalayas in India and Nepal, and even in a remote region like the northern ice cap in Chilean Patagonia.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Whole foods and Oreo cookies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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When I work out, it’s very simple – “whole foods plant-based.” Low fat, high carbohydrate. I love eating fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, whole grains, dates, nuts\/seeds and this diet has done wonders for me. I recover much faster, even when doing some of the most painful workouts (example – a 20-hour steep hike in the local mountains). On the other hand, every time I eat unhealthy food like fried stuff\/white refined flour, I have found that my recovery slows down. The body tells it what it likes. And my body likes a vegan wholefood diet. Some of my favorites are fruits like bananas, mango, grapes, and dried dates\/raisins\/figs, and I can’t forget – the oatmeal made with either water or soy milk (my favorite breakfast!).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

As for my diet when climbing – it depends a lot on where I’m climbing. If it’s the Himalayas, most of the local food tends to be vegetarian, and it’s easier to veganize. Food typically consists of vegetable stews\/curries, fruits, lentils, beans, soups, wheat bread, rice, potatoes, noodles, pasta, etc. So on my climbs in the Himalayas, I stick to the local cuisine. At the same time, I also carry around convenient food from home, which is more of a mix of dried fruits and nuts, nutrition bars made from dates and nuts, and a few local snacks, even if they are unhealthy (after all, calories are important in the mountains – calories are calories – you need them for energy!).<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kuntal\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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My diet during mountaineering expeditions is very different. At higher altitudes, the caloric needs of the human body are dramatically different than at sea level. At base camp, which is at 18,000 feet, a climber’s caloric needs could easily be around 4000 calories per day, and that number would easily increase to 8-9000 calories at 25,000 feet, and a climber burns about 15,000 calories on a typical 20-hour Everest summit trip. As long as the food on an expedition is vegan, I don’t care if it’s healthy or not. I eat it the way I need the calories. For example, a small bottle of 250 ml cola = 100 calories (99% simple carbohydrates). A single Oreo cookie<\/a> = 45 calories, and so about 20 of them would be about 900 calories! These are all calories – vegan calories, and they taste great, and at 23,000 feet where most people can’t eat, I’d rather eat these and have my calorie needs met.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\"When I need a lot of calories fast, Oreo cookies and Coke!\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKuntal Joisher<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kuntal\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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On the Everest\/Lhotse climb, at base camp (18,000 feet) \/ camp two (21,500 feet) – I ate pretty much everything fresh, from whipped rice, to semolina\/oatmeal, fried Indian bread and curry, Tibetan bread, pancakes, lentils and rice, noodles, fries, burgers, and various Indian foods – all vegan, of course. Our amazing chefs Ngima Tamang and Anup Rai even made us a vegan cake! Outside of the second camp, I survived mainly on a few things: Electrolyte and energy powders, freeze-dried meals, instant soy milk oatmeal, Oreo cookies<\/a>, dried dates\/ figs, dried fruits like kiwi, pineapple, papaya, nuts – almonds and cashews – and some Indian specialties.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I switched to a healthy vegan diet, I had immediate performance benefits during my sea level workouts. My recovery time improved, and I was able to train harder and harder for the big mountain climbs! But one of the biggest benefits, and something that is not very obvious or tangible, is the level of mental calm and focus I have achieved after making the lifestyle change. Knowing that no animal or sentient being died for me to pursue my dreams gives me full peace of mind to focus and achieve my dreams. The vegan diet creates an essential mental advantage!
And having climbed Everest and Lhotse, I know that in the end it all comes down to your mental fitness and readiness.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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