INTRODUCTION:
The course of our lives are defined by fleeting yet significant moments. Moments that connect in perfect harmony when we look back years later. If you’re fortunate, fate grants you the purpose you were born for. And for the ones who are brave and passionate enough to chase that purpose, the world is truly their oyster
What’s Your Everest – A Path to Passion & Purpose!
Our story began in 2005, within a small hostel room in SIMS College Pune, where by sheer chance, we became roommates during our MBA program. Two young men, seemingly destined for the grind and eventual comforts of the corporate ladder, whose paths were altered by a shared love for the mountains! They say, “Never visit the Himalayas as a young man, for they will steal your heart and never return it.” Our lives are the very embodiment of that phrase.
For us, it was the Khumbu Valley in Nepal and its brightest jewel, Mt. Everest, that bestowed upon us our true purpose. Over the last 15 years, we’ve journeyed to its base camp over 70 times, facilitating transformative experiences for countless trekkers. In the midst of it all, the call of Everest’s summit grew stronger, until we could ignore it no more. And it was our attempts to climb to the roof of the world that shaped us into the people we were always meant to be.
October 2013 was the very first time we articulated the idea of possibly trying to climb Mount Everest.
On the 18th of May 2018, as the golden rays of the sun marked the rise of yet another beautiful day, our footsteps finally crunched the snow at 8,848m – realizing our loftiest goal.
The four and a half years in between spanned three tumultuous expeditions, in the best and worst of ways. It was almost as if we’d lived a lifetime in half a decade.
A whirlwind of emotions – challenges, setbacks, and tragedies that had us questioning our choices, contrasted by unwavering support, unconditional love, and hope from unexpected people and places – all culminating in the greatest achievement of our lives.
Off the Beaten Path – The Inception of Adventure Pulse!
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost)
In our case, we’d already trodden down the road most travelled. As we departed SIMS, having completed our MBA, we also left behind a life where adventure in the Sahyadris was an integral cog.
Swiftly moving into the cubicles of corporate India, the mountains soon became an afterthought.
Months turned into years and despite progressing as HR professionals in reputed organizations like Sitel, Standard Chartered and Infosys, below the surface, frustrations simmered. By 2010, we realized that the life we truly wanted to live, lay elsewhere.
The valleys of the Himalayas beckoned. It’s jagged summits and snow laden passes. Pristine lakes and expansive bugyals (meadows). And the warmth of the people that called those mountains their home.
A spontaneous, solitary trip to Everest Base Camp had confirmed it.
Resignations put in. Weeks of notice served. A hazy path forward, yet a path we had ‘chosen’, together!
Adventure Pulse was born. And the wheels had been set in motion, without even realizing it.
A Dream Worth Chasing – Finding Our Everest!
Over the next few years, we traversed the stunning landscapes of Kashmir, Ladakh, Nepal and even Africa – climbing and leading guided treks and expeditions, honing our skillset! We walked across some of the most unbelievable alpine vistas but somehow a single mountain called out, each time we crossed its path. The surreal image of jet streams blowing off the final ridge of Everest had us dreaming.
And why not? We’d already come this far. Left behind the familiarity and structure of a settled life to chase into the unknown. Why couldn’t we make it to where only a handful of humans in history have.
The highest point on Planet Earth. The summit of Mt. Everest!
The next 18 months were spent planning, scheming & training to become the most capable versions of ourselves. Versions that Sagarmatha (Nepali name for Mt. Everest) would deem deserving of the opportunity to stand atop its crown. What we did not realize was how excruciatingly difficult it would be to even arrive at the starting line. 60 Lakh Rupees. 30 Lakhs per climber. Simply the price of entry. No summit guaranteed.
2015 – Tragedy in Nepal
We scratched and clawed, pooling in every bit of our savings and profits from our adventure tourism company and were still handsomely short. By what can only be called a miracle orchestrated by the universe – up stepped friends, families, well-wishers, colleagues and organizations we’d worked with in the past, collectively getting us over the line.
We were finally ready. We’d overcome debilitating injuries, financial shortfalls & logistical nightmares. Through it all we completed mountaineering courses and climbed 6000 & 7000 meter peaks like Stok Kangri, Nun and Lobuche to prepare. And in March 2015 we set foot in Kathmandu, on our way once again, to the famous Khumbu Valley. Not simply to Base Camp but hopefully all the way to the top!
Almost a month later, we were resting in our tents below the deadly Khumbu Icefall. We had descended to base camp only a few days earlier having completed our first acclimatization rotation to Camp 1 at 6000m. And that’s when we were engulfed by one of the greatest mountaineering tragedies in history.
The Aftermath of Disaster
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the country of Nepal, eventually taking over 9000 precious lives. 22 of those were Sherpas, climbers and support teams at Everest Base Camp, hit by a brutal avalanche the tore through the region.
Within seconds, priorities shifted. Climbing plans turned into survival through solidarity. There were no more distinct climbing teams. Only those that lived and those who did not. Inspired by the Indian Army contingent stationed beside us, the two of us stayed behind to support the relief effort. Not to gain fame. Not to be recognized or curry any favors, but simply because it was the humane thing to do.
Weeks later, we returned home to India. Our dreams in tatters. Doubting that we’d ever make it back.
But sometimes the kindness you put into the world has a way of finding its way back when you least expect it.
2017 – Everest’s Summit Remains Elusive!
In the immediate aftermath, both of us had a hard time coming to terms with how our expedition had unfolded. We had fought tooth and nail, simply for an opportunity. And it had been ripped out from our hands. We wanted to return, to finish what we started but the sheer thought of doing it all over was daunting to say the least.
It was 2016 and we had thrown ourselves into work, when our first lucky break emerged. The Nepal government extended our climbing permits till 2017, bringing down the cost of a potential attempt by 15 Lakhs. A glimmer of hope.
Around the same time a long time client (and by then good friend friend) of ours at Adventure Pulse, Vikas Dimri reached out, with a desire to join us for our next attempt. His enthusiasm further strengthened our resolve and together we worked tirelessly, training and raising funds.
In the background, word had spread about our contribution in assisting the rescue efforts at Base Camp and we’d also been interviewed on several news networks. This went a long way in securing corporate sponsorships while we also partnered with the Queen Mary’s Technical Institute For Differently Abled Soldiers pledging half the funds we raised to their cause. Despite it all, we were running out of time and only through a sheer stroke of luck where we introduced to ex-Indian Cricket Team Captain Kris Srikkanth, through whose generosity we were finally on our way to Everest.
The Death Zone Prevails – The Eye of the Storm at Camp 4
For weeks we pressed on, completing rotation after rotation. Resilient in the face of exhaustion and altitude. As we ascended past the scintillating Western Cwm (a.k.a the Valley of Silence) between Camp 1 & Camp 2, we were completely enthralled by the sheer scale of the landscape. Everest, Lhotse & Nuptse flanked us. We were in the grandest natural cathedral. A feeling of confidence had spread through our team. Our base camp manager and long-time friend, Ghanshyam, informed us of an opportune weather window. He wished us luck as we departed EBC after the holy ceremony (or Pooja) performed to seek blessings of the mountain goddess in hope for safe passage.
Climbing up the Lhotse Face, we had now entered the Death Zone — above 8,000m. An altitude where humans not only cannot thrive, but can barely even survive. The elusive summit we had spent years working towards was now in touching distance, but hidden from sight owing to the horrific winds we found ourselves trapped in. The mountains make their own weather and in true fashion, our weather window had disappeared. For over 24 hours we waited, minutes stretching into what felt like eternity.
Would we really have to turn around?
What ensued was, what we then believed was a cruel joke of fate. We were forced to call off our attempt as our very lives hung in the balance. Dampened and mentally destroyed, we descended.
Mere shells of the exuberant climbers we’d been only days prior.
Our Everest, it seemed, was unattainable.
2018 – Perseverance & Camaraderie
The last four years had been a crash course in life lessons. Failure had become a constant companion.
Our tryst with Everest had forced us to face the demons that rose within – the proverbial ‘mountains of our mind.’
We were in too deep. We had sacrificed too much. And despite every obstacle, we had persevered and come out reinvigorated. For it was the camaraderie which had been fostered in the highs and lows of the last decade that made us certain we wanted to see our journey through. Together.
We sold off land, personal possessions, took out loans and through a final stroke of luck on the eleventh hour, had the reputed automotive manufacturers Force Motors step in to back us, inspired by our resolve.
This time, it all felt right.
We had been through the gauntlet. Lived through disaster. Turned back by nature.
And yet, we chose to rise and chose to chase. After a goal, that set our hearts ablaze!
Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.”
As we look back, we’re glad that we had the courage to continue. To stand tall as our dreams crashed around us. Over and over. And we’re glad we never gave in.
We returned to the Khumbu in 2018. And at 6.17 am on the 18th of May – exactly a year after the mountain sent us packing, after all our trials and tribulations, crested the highest possible speck of solid ground on planet earth.
We conquered our Everest. And in the process, found ourselves.
From the depths of despair to a summit of self-belief.
A belief that anything is possible, if you simply try hard enough!
In Closing
The above is a brief re-telling of Sauraj Jhingan & Samir Patham’s journey to the roof of the world. They chronicled their story in a recent book ‘What’s Your Everest – A Path to Passion & Purpose’ which was published by Bloomsbury in June 2025. Theirs is a story of true courage, self-discovery and the relentless pursuit of passion, urging you to ignite the spark within and conquer the metaphorical Everest in your life. Grab your copy to delve deep into their grueling attempts which culminated in success on the summit of Mt. Everest in 2018!
