Later when interviewed by the Hindustan Times, we were quoted saying, "Being involved made it seem like our being there wasn't a total waste...there was a purpose. We were able to make a small difference by helping. The Earthquake has shaken us, but not broken us. We will be back again soon.” It took us two years to recover, the biggest hurdle being the finances, as it took approximately 30 lakhs per person to summit Everest.

For the next expedition, seeing the Army in action inspired us, to associate with the Queen Mary’s Technical Institute which was celebrating 100 years of inception, with the intention of raising funds through our summit, for the Pune based NGO that provides vocational training for soldiers left disabled in the line of duty.

This time, our expedition seemed to be moving on track, with us making excellent progress up the mountain.

Unfortunately, this Expedition too had to be aborted, just 800 meters short of the summit due to a sudden onset of high velocity winds and deteriorating weather conditions. Faced with this agonizing choice of risking the team for the glory of the summit, or returning to the safety of Everest Base Camp, we made the hard decision of returning back from Everest, once again.

Going back to Everest was matter of rising up to the challenge and not being overwhelmed by failure. We kept our spirits high and continued with our rigorous physical training schedule. But gathering the finances was becoming increasingly difficult and till December 2017 the prospects of climbing Everest was looking decidedly bleak. As late as end January 2018, we received a lifeline from FORCE MOTORS who agreed to sponsor us, and along with financial support from family, friends & well-wishers, we were once again ready for the trials of our 3 rd Expedition to Everest. The Force Motors Everest Expedition 2018 which was officially launched on the 22 nd  of March 2018, having been flagged off at the company headquarters at Akurdi, Pune.

Khumbu Icefall 5500m-6100m / 1800ft – 20000ft: this huge glacier located on the South Side of Everest, is one of the most unique features when compared to any mountain in the world. Each climb through the Icefall is done with bated breath and a prayer on our lips. Making a good and steady time, we left Base Camp at 4:15am and reached Camp-1 at 9:30 am, thus avoiding passing through the dreaded Khumbu Icefall during the most dangerous time of the day, when the sun is directly overhead.

We have moved on higher up the mountain to Camp-2, also referred to as Advance Camp located at a height of 21,500 ft. After a tough day at Camp-1 with heavy snow fall and very poor visibility, we woke up the next day with incredibly clear weather. At this height, you can visibly feel the strain on your senses as every breath is a struggle. As part of our plan, we pushed further up the mountain towards the Lhotse Ice wall, reaching an incredible height of 23,760 ft above sea level, before heavy winds and snowfall, compelled us to turn back to Camp-2 and rest.

Looking at the winds blowing off Everest in the distance at noon on the 17th of May, 2018 as we make our way up to South Col and Camp IV, we began to dread that the weather would turn again for the worst. “Was this to be a repeat of our Everest experience in 2017, where strong winds compelled us to return from South Col and with a heavy heart, we had to make our way back down hoping for another opportunity to climb Everest?"

At this point in time, who knew what the next 24hours would bring?

Resting in our tents, sleep eludes us, each one of us is alone in our thoughts and there is little or no conversation. In a few hours we must gear up for the final push. At this point we are at the edge of the atmosphere the closest a human being can get to space on Earth. We start our ascent at 20.30 hrs on the night of 17 th May 2018. As we climb we can see the head lamp beams of climbers ahead of us that twinkle like a line of glow worms.