Ankit Sharma/Dehradun

On May 23rd, Akash Negi had hoisted the tricolour on Mt Everest. Despite the virus surge at the base camp, the wave failed to deter Akash from aiming for Mt. Everest’s summit.

Akash, who hails from Ganeshpur in Dehradun, Uttrakhand, works in a multinational company in the USA. His purpose behind scaling Mt. Everest was to raise funds for a charitable organization working for autistic children.

He has been a dedicated volunteer for this foundation for the last 7-8 years.

Akash's father, Matbar Singh, who works in United Nations, New York, spoke to Awaz-tThe Voice. He said, "Akash has been fond of mountaineering since childhood."

Akash (left) at the base camp

"After studying in America in the year 2007, Akash started working in the US. But, his passion for mountaineering did not diminish. I am proud to say that he has so far unfurled the tricolour on the four highest peaks in the world", he added.

The 29-year-old embarked on his Mt. Everest expedition on 18th of April 2021 from New York. He reached the Everest Base Camp on 24th Apri 24.

The bad weather on 21st and 22nd April delayed the trail to the Base Camp by 2 days. The snowstorm was at its worst.

On 27th April, after the weather cleared, Akash re-commenced his expedition to  Camp 1. This point is one of the four camps before the South Summit, it is also known as The Silent Valley.

Camp1 Bubble

While traversing to the peak, the mountainous challenges like the COVID outbreak at the base camp and traffic jams emerged as major hurdles. But, Negi's sheer grit propelled him to keep moving while protecting himself.

"I was fortunate to be vaccinated before the expedition start and opted for the “Speed Ascent” program which cuts the duration of the trip from 60 days to about 40. That was one of my strategies to avoid exposure to the Covid. Other than that, we had segregated group dining and socializing within our own “bubbles”. This meant that Covid would not spread from one bubble to another. The only problem was that the bubble system was not enforced for the climbing sherpas and support staff." Akash told Awaz-the Voice.

Moments before unfurling the tricolour at Mt Everest

Also Read: India reports lowest Covid cases since April 9

He continued to stomp upwards to reach the toughest Camp 4 - also known as the 'Death zone'. On 23 May, Akash finally conquered Mt. Everest, and not only made Uttarakhand proud of him but the whole nation.

He then descended to Camp 4 for a night's rest on the same day."All mountaineering expeditions have taught me about teamwork, hard work, mental focus, etc. But Mt. Everest specifically taught me the importance of leadership. There were 8 other climbers at high camp along with us who were preparing to start for the summit on May 22nd night. In the end, only my team of 2 and 1 other climber started and made it to the summit, " Akash said.

Putting the masks on

Matbar Singh also said that his son is preparing to conquer 7 mountains of 7 continents. He has so far summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Denali in the United States, Mt. Aconcagua in South America, and Mt. Everest in Nepal - the recent one."

Negi's family is from Village Chopta-Jakhani, District Rudraprayag. But, they moved to Dehradun 45 years ago. They now live in New York. Akash's sister Abhilasha is a pilot.