Johann Peries who partnered Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala on her journey to become the first Sri Lankan to summit the great mountain but fell an agonizing 448m short due to his oxygen tanks malfunctioning will be making a second attempt during April 2018.
‘Climb with Johann’ a campaign to support Johann Peries on his journey to conquer the legendary mountain was launched today(17th) at the Hilton Colombo, with the Hon. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe gracing the occasion as the chief guest.
This year Johann has decided to make a public climb where any Sri Lankan can sponsor each step that Johann takes on the mountain. Each step of Johann is valued at Rs.100 with an estimated 80,000 steps in total to be taken by Johann to arrive at the summit. An Everest expedition requires a large financial commitment and every sponsored step will be go towards financing the expedition and all associated costs. The total cost for the expedition is forecast to be approximately US$ 58600.
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On his second attempt to summit the highest peak of the globe, Johann will be faced with a brand-new challenge as he will be without his climbing partner and good friend Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala. Returning from their last attempt where Jayanthi became the first Sri Lankan to summit, the duo insisted that they only managed to achieve the milestones because of how compatible they were as a team. When asked how he plans on taking up the challenge of having to tackle the grueling expedition by himself Johann added that “I know that I am ready, I had a fabulous partner last time and we made it together and that is the only thing that will be lacking this time, having her (Jayanthi) by my side. She was a great strength and support to me and I think we were to each other. Saying that, I am somebody who is very spiritual. I believe that I am not going alone. I believe in a higher power and I know I will have the strength and the courage to do this”
Addressing the gathering, the first Sri Lankan to conquer the Everest, Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala had plenty of words of appreciation for Johann “When the both of us returned after our journey last time we had lost 10Kg each and it took me over a year to recover both physically and mentally. When you enter the zone 4, which is ‘termed the death zone’ due to the lack of oxygen and as the body starts to deteriorate it is impeccable that you make the correct decisions. I have massive respect for Johann for having the courage to make the correct decision and turn back the last time when he was so agonizingly close to the summit. Only a strong-willed person would have made that decision since if he was fazed by the thought of trying to summit without turning back it could have ended up in a disaster. I wish I could join Johann but I am not mentally nor physically ready to take up that challenge again. So this time Colombo will be my base camp and I will make sure to do everything I can to support Johann as much as possible”
Johann will be part of a larger team led by International Mountain Guides (IMG), a globally renowned mountaineering company, with experience in leading several successful Mt. Everest expeditions. The expedition fees include IMG’s logistical support, Sherpa and guide support, all climbing permits, expedition food and accommodation, porterage, communications, oxygen, insurance and helicopter rescue, as well as regular access to the IMG medical clinic at Everest Base Camp.
The ambitious Johann has an impressive track record in mountain climbing apart from his first attempt at Mount Everest in April-June 2016 where he reached a height of 8,400m, a mere 448m short of the Everest peak, before being forced to give up the climb due to technical difficulties. Before that, Johann was part of a four-member Sri Lankan team to successfully summit the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Their expedition was via the Lemosho Route, which is the longest route to the summit, thereby allowing the team maximum time for acclimatization and thus a safe summit attempt.
Johann was one of the only two from a five-member team of climbers to successfully summit Island Peak in Nepal, in 2012. Due to the climb’s technically challenging nature, Island Peak is considered by many to be one of the training peaks to be summited in preparation for expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest.
You can also be a part of this momentous endeavor by Johann Peries to become the second Sri Lankan to summit the mount Everest by logging onto www.johanneverest2018.com and sponsoring one of Johann’s step for Rs.100.
