How a Ladakhi mountaineer climbed Everest without oxygen

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It’s been a perpetual debate in the world of mountaineering—the ethics of climbing, the right style of getting to the top. Supplementary oxygen was used by the early expeditions to Everest in the 1920s, and by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary when they made the first ascent in 1953. It wasn’t until 1978 that the first men, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler, reached the top without oxygen.

According to The Himalayan Database, of the thousands who’ve summited Everest over the last decade (until 2023), only 36 have made the climb without oxygen. Only seven Indians have achieved this remarkable feat, all of them from the Indian Army, which makes Rigzin the first Indian civilian to have climbed Everest without supplementary oxygen.

“It’s how I’ve always climbed mountains. And every climb has taught me something," he says.

While growing up in Ladakh, the mountains were all around Rigzin. Not much of a student, he would bunk classes and wander up the slopes to admire the view from the top. The eldest of four siblings, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade and looked out for work to support the family. He tried joining the Indian Army but that didn’t work out because he was too young at the time; he worked as an office boy in New Delhi, all so that he could earn a living and explore the city. “I was physically strong and really hard working, open to anything that came my way," he says.

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It was only when he returned to Leh that he first heard of trekking. Starting out as a kitchen help, he led his first trek with Rimo Expeditions in 1997. While he was working, he pursued his mountaineering certifications as well. Besides finishing his basic and advance mountaineering courses, Rigzin is also an International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA)-certified guide.

But his main mountain education happened while climbing peaks such as Rimo IV (7,169m), Arganglas (6,789m) and Padmanabh (7,040m) in the Eastern Karakoram range alongside veteran climbers such as Chris Bonington and Harish Kapadia.

“It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The mountains taught me how to take stock of a situation, be resourceful and find possible solutions. I felt alive at the heights. And of course, I enjoyed the view from the top," he says.

The first opportunity to visit Nepal arrived in 2021 when he joined an Indian Mountaineering Foundation team where he made an unsuccessful attempt on Nuptse. The following year, he landed the opportunity to work as a high altitude guide on Annapurna I.

“I was hired as an additional help on the mountain alongside the Sherpas. My plan was to go as far as I could without oxygen. On the summit push, I didn’t know what to expect. It was a long climb and we reached the top quite late. It was hot and I felt a bit strange in the head, perhaps some hallucinations as well, but I soon settled down and started descending," he says.

“Then two weeks later, I climbed Lhotse without oxygen. The two climbs got me to understand my body above 8,000 metres. I also realised the need to use good gear and keep a regular check on my digits, since there are more chances of frostbites when you aren’t using oxygen. And the fact that I needed to consume more calories on the mountain," he says.

The original plan was to climb Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world. But heavy snowfall meant his team couldn’t progress beyond Camp 3. That’s when his friend and Boots and Crampons agency founder, Bharath Thammineni, suggested he make an attempt on Everest.

“I had managed to raise funds for Dhaulagiri through educationist Sonam Wangchuk and a few friends. But I didn't have any money now. I could go to Everest only after Bharath arranged the permit and funded my entire climb," he says.

After arriving at Everest Base Camp, he realised that a good weather window was opening up on 19 May and would last for the next five days. It was clear that a lot of climbers would set off early, which would jeopardise his own climb in case he were to get stuck at a bottleneck.

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“Every second counts [at high altitudes] when you are not using oxygen. I also know my body, so I know when to turn around, which is more important than the summit. But I also wanted to give myself a good shot at climbing Everest, so I planned on summiting right towards the end of that period of good weather," he says.

After just three days at base camp, Rigzin started up the mountain. He spent enough time at the camps en route to acclimatise to the altitude. At 6.50pm on 22 May, he said a little prayer and set off for the summit of Everest.

“There were about 150 people on the mountain that evening, but it was smooth progress. I did get really cold at one point and removed my boots to check if my toes were alright. Besides that, I was quite surprised with how good I was feeling at that altitude," he recalls.

But Rigzin didn’t leave anything to chance. All through the climb, he kept himself engaged and conscious with little tests for his brain such as remembering capital cities, and recollecting incidents from his life and when they had occurred. Once past the height of Lhotse, he made quick calculations on his rate of ascent and how long it would take to climb the final 300-odd metres.

“I just wanted to ensure that my mind was as alert as my body and that there was enough coordination between the two," he says.Once on the summit, Rigzin prostrated thrice to thank the mountain for allowing him to complete the climb.

“The way to get to the top is through hard work, not by using oxygen. Go slow and steady, do something different and challenge yourself every once in a while," he says.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.

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