A Michigan couple have revealed they set the romantic bar high, by celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary from the summit of the world’s tallest mountain.
Climbing together since 2019, Harpreet and Navneet Cheema have previously scaled Kilimanjaro and Denali among several other mountains. Eying up something special to celebrate their anniversary, the duo headed to Everest, scaling the 29,000ft / 8,850m peak in 43 days with the guidance of a specialist sherpa.
Training intensely for the dangerous expedition, Harpreet and Navneet ran six miles / 9.7km every day, in addition to a strict routine of core and endurance conditioning. Alongside their constant training, the pair took a unique approach to acclimatize to Everest’s lack of oxygen.
“We had to sleep in a hypoxia tent in our room, so it limits the oxygen and mimics higher altitude sleeping,” Harpreet told Click On Detroit.
While normal air contains 20.9% oxygen, the air in hypoxia tents has only 12%, simulating the harsh Everest environment the Cheemas experienced. Hypoxia tents acclimatize users to higher altitudes by increasing blood oxygen saturation.
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Alongside physical preparation, the pair, who hail from Ann Arbour, credit their Sikh faith and mental stability for getting them to the top.
“There’s lots that faith can do to help you climb the mountain, and we knew we were carrying it with us, and it will take us to the top and bring us safely down,” continued Harpreet.
“People say ‘conquer the mountain’, no one does that, you conquer your mind, that is what our journey has been.”
With two children at home, the stakes were high for Harpreet and Navneet. Alongside being the tallest mountain in the world, Everest is well known as one of the most dangerous. In the 2024 climbing season, nine people died on the mountain, a welcome decrease from the record 18 that died there the previous year, but still a sizable figure. Avalanches, falling rocks, fatigue, and extreme temperatures are among the leading causes of death.
Climbers are now forced to carry a tracking chip, so they can be located in the event of an avalanche or serious injury. Introduced earlier this year, officials claim the chip cuts search and rescue times, saving lives and allowing bodies to be found quickly.
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