How did you get into the world of climbing?
I wouldn’t say that it was a conscious decision as such. I was born and raised in a region full of mountains, hills and rocks. My father used to climb a bit. But he wasn’t a professional climber. I grew up climbing the Dolomites. It was the only way the kids of that province could entertain and express themselves. We had no soccer or pools back then. And before I even realized, the boulders became my closest companion. In fact, I was just five when I scaled a 10,000 feet peak for the first time.[break]
Did you ever dream of scaling so many mountains?
I never dream. I achieve. I don’t perceive climbing in a romantic way. It’s not just for adventure. To become a good climber, you have to know what you’re doing. You should have a strong will power. You cannot take things for granted. Once you’re out there, it’s just you and the mountains. That’s the stark reality. There’s no time or place for dreams and fantasies when your life is at stake.
Chandra Shekhar Karki
So, you really have to push yourself all the time?
No, all you’ve to do is follow your heart, your instinct and your enthusiasm. And that’s exactly what I did. I made things more challenging for myself. I kept looking for difficult routes. I ventured out into the Alps and the Dolomites. I’ve scaled mountains in more than fifty countries like Nepal, India, Pakistan and Indonesia. For me, summit has always held less significance than the route. The real fun lies in the path, not in the pinnacle.
How should a climber prepare oneself for a climb?
There’re many ways to approach a mountain. Every mountain is different. Every climb has its own challenges. For example, rock climbing is totally different from high altitude climbing. For ice and rock, you need different techniques. You need to be in perfect shape. You’ve to have a certain level of endurance. You need to have good knowledge about high altitude. High altitude is like a marathon while rock climbing is like a hundred meter race. But in all cases, death is an equal possibility. A climber should always remember that.
What exactly motivates you to go on an expedition?
Each time it’s something different. I know for a fact that the wild is a dangerous and difficult place to be in. And I’m not out there for pure enjoyment. I don’t care if I’m climbing alone or in a group. All I care about is exploring an uncharted territory. Mostly, that is my motivation. I’m excited to be somewhere new and unexplored. Also, I always want to extend my limits so that I know what they are and how far they can be stretched. In the mountains, survival is at stake. Living becomes a feat. It’s not a child’s play when your life is involved. It doesn’t matter how great a climber you are. One small mistake can cost you your life. Perhaps it’s also this thrill that drives me on.
Is mountaineering a spiritual experience as well?
In less industrialized countries, mountains are still worshipped and deified. I believe that all religions are human made. But nature is so fantastic that it never ceases to amaze me. I really can’t exclude the power behind it. I’m a classical mountaineer. I’ve lived in the mountains all my life. Nobody pushed me into this. It was like a chain reaction. One achievement followed another. And the more I climbed, the more I realized how healthy it was for the spirit. It’s just like any other form of meditation. When you’re out there, it’s a different world altogether. Nothing can be compared to that.
How has the trend of climbing changed over the decades?
In the earlier days, everything was new and exciting. People went everywhere and wanted to scale all the peaks. But now there’re only a fixed number of summits that are open to the public. Moreover, in some sense, scaling a mountain has become rich people’s hobby. For example, Mount Everest has turned into a tourist destination. Most of the people who reached the summit this season would have been nowhere without help from the Sherpas who literally paved the path for them. I would never say that the dangers of climbing have lessened because anything can happen at any moment. There’s the harsh monsoon and the unpredictable glaciers. But I can say that climbing has become safer. There’re helicopters for rescue and the pilots are the unsung heroes who save so many lives.
You’ve also written a book on Yetis. Do you believe in their existence?
Yeti is a legendry figure in the Sherpa community. The Sherpas brought this myth along with them when they migrated from Tibet more than five hundred years ago. The creature that they call yeti is, in reality, a brown snow bear. These bears are very strong. They can kill yaks in a single blow. The rest of the world is mystified with the ideas of yetis. But I can say for a fact that they do not exist.
So what are your future plans?
I want to make more documentaries. Also, I’ll come to Nepal again and again. It has such a beautiful landscape. I love this place. There’re so many locales that the world is yet to see. There’s a lot of potential in this country. I want to build schools and museums like I’ve built back home. I also want to give the mountain people proper trainings for livelihood.
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