Climbing the tallest mountain in the world is an arduous task that only a few are capable of. But having to turn back, a mere few meters short from the summit and to make up your mind to re attempt to scale the mountain giant requires superior mental toughness only a few possess.
Johann Peries, who became the first Sri Lankan man to summit Mt. Everest on 22nd of May at 05.55am (Nepal time), is one such individual who was brave enough to take on the challenge of attempting to scale the tallest mountain in the world for the second time despite failing short a mere 400m due to circumstances not in his control.
A jovial thrill seeker, Johann was part of the two-member Sri Lankan team alongside Jayanthi Kuru-Uthumpala in 2016 in their attempt to become the first Sri Lankans to summit Mt. Everest. Jayanthi became the first Sri Lankan to summit while Johann had to agonizingly turn 400m from the top as his Sherpa informed his that he did not have enough Oxygen to go up to the top and then complete the decent as there was a malfunction in the tank. Johann made the tough but correct decision to turn back as he would have risked his life if he continued.
Photos: Media Briefing – Johann Peries’ Successful Return
ThePapare.com | Viraj Kothalawala | 06/06/2018 Editing and re-using images without…..
Despite the heart break and pledging that he will not take on Everest again, Johann wanted to finish what he started as he embarked on the journey of scaling Everest in April 2018 having trained the past 18 months for the purpose. In a testament to unwavering perseverance and commitment making anything possible, Johann managed to finish what he started and teach the important lesson to ‘Never to give up” no matter what throws at you.
