From Sassari to Everest the step is not short and it is not common, it is instead a high-risk challenge that Carlo Gaspa decided to face after preparing for many months.
32 years old, «just turned even though I wasn't sure I would be able to celebrate it», entrepreneur in the big data sector, has just completed the journey that took him thousands of meters above sea level.
Carlo is a mountain enthusiast, he has done many treks. A vocation that in 2018 has gradually become more and more organised: «Especially in Valle d'Aosta, in Trentino, usually with friends or mountain guides. But for the Himalayas and the Three Passes Trek I trained a lot."
At the start the group consisted of 10 people, but only 7 made it. «One companion, also very sporty and used to the mountains, had pulmonary edema after the first pass and the helicopter came to pick him up, two others had very low saturation, including a boy from Cagliari, and had to give up» .
Why the Himalayas?
«It was my goal. Usually we take a shorter and easier route, so to speak, which is the one that cuts straight towards the base camp. But I didn't like the idea of doing something that is very touristy in practice. Just as style and approach are. I wanted an authentic experience. And I chose a less traveled trek in a national park, decidedly more difficult."
What is the Three Pass Trek?
«It is a trek that lasts 17-18 days, a circular route that passes through paths normally followed by Sherpas, a local ethnic group that descends from Tibetans with very particular traditions. You face three mountain passes all above 5 thousand metres, and - after the second - you reach Everest and a very panoramic point with Kala Patthar. I was lucky enough, perhaps more recklessly, to get there at sunset."
Unconsciousness?
«Everyone goes up in the morning because in this period you are guaranteed to find good weather, in the afternoon there are always clouds, it is cyclical, and many fear arriving at 5,644 meters and not seeing anything. Instead in my case the clouds were below while the sun went out on Everest."
How did he prepare?
«I have always been an athlete, but for 13 months I trained 5 or 6 days a week with equipment and cardio. It is very important to have breath, not to smoke or drink even during the trek because you will become dehydrated. I gained 12 kilos, all of which I lost in the 17 days of travel."
And mentally?
«In hindsight I don't seem to have been affected much, but many have suffered a breakdown due to psychological aspects that were not treated or not addressed before, the difficulties are innumerable. Instead I didn't think about it too much, I was focused on my athletic training and it went well."
What equipment did he have?
First you need to count the weight of the objects per gram. You carry a good portion on your shoulder and another is given to the Sherpa-bearer. Merino wool sweaters, waterproof clothing preferably in Gore-tex because it rains there, down jacket, crampons, electricity equipment, power banks because in the cold everything runs out very quickly, and mountain glasses: too much brightness due to the reflection of the The sun can cause what is called snow blindness and cause nausea and headaches."
How did the trip go?
«I left Alghero on 13 October with stops in Milan, Dubai and finally Kathmandu where I arrived the following day. The first essential stop is Lukla airport, which is famous because it is the most dangerous in the world, among the mountains, at 2,860 metres, a considerable drop. Then Namche Bazar, capital of the Sherpas, from where the paths of the national park unravel. From there the first trek of the Three Passes which are covered in a clockwise direction: Renjo La, then the Cho La, and the stages of the Kala Patthar, the Everest base camp, and the last Pass, the Kongma La. Being a route loop, we finally return to Namche Bazar."
Where did you stop?
«There are lodges, like refuges but very spartan: if it's -15 degrees outside, inside it's -13. They are managed by the local population. They light a stove fueled with dried yak dung, which makes a blaze. It's warm for 10 minutes then it's cold again. It goes for three hours a day and that's it. Many people had congestion."
Food?
«Rice, rice and rice. And Dal Bhat, a traditional dish, in quantity. It just makes you feel nauseated after a while. In the menus they also try to include something Italian, or supposed to be Italian, except that I have celiac disease and therefore all that was left was rice and potato soups. Sometimes I didn't eat at all."
Waterfall?
«There isn't any drinking water. It is wrong to think that there are those sources from which clear water flows, we were equipped with filters then bought it for convenience. We drank mostly tea in all possible variations."
The beds?
«The further up the route you went, the more the quality of everything dropped and the costs increased. The beds were also good, but we slept in a sleeping bag, with a blanket on top to protect us more from the cold. A big problem, however, was the toilets, which were completely unhygienic. A hole in the ground with cans of water next to it to be "thrown" to clean. Except that at night and in the morning the water was frozen...".
What do you do once you reach the top?
«When you reach Kala Patthar you sit down. In front you have Everest. It means having climbed 400 meters in altitude with the most rarefied oxygen, it's like breathing with half your lungs. It takes two and a half hours to get there and you can see the entire Khumbu valley at 360 degrees. I waited for the sunset and then the spectacle of nature appeared."
From there the return home.
«I arrived in Sardinia on November 4th, the best day of my life. I had time to get used to normality again with the intermediate stage in Kathmandu."
Physical effects?
"A couple of days to recover."
Have you dealt with fear?
"All time. However, I never thought about going back, even though I always feared having to do so starting from the third day. Because it's one thing when you're in the common room of the lodge, where we're all cheerful and happy and playing cards, it's another to walk through the corridors towards the sleeping area, it feels like being catapulted into a horror film."
And see what?
«People vomiting, crying, coughing with water in their lungs. You put earplugs on so you don't think about it and try to sleep."
What were the most difficult moments?
«We walked up to eight hours a day, you always have a headache, sometimes even nausea, some feel dizzy, all symptoms of altitude sickness which can even kill. Every year 10-15 tourists die, their bodies are recovered up to a certain point, after 6 thousand meters they are left on site because 40 thousand euros are paid for the operations."
All things considered, was it worth it?
«I thought about it a lot, it's true that I couldn't wait to go home, but yes, it was worth it even if we all risked a lot. Perhaps, as a Sardinian, I felt out of place and inadequate, the mountains are often seen as something very far from our habits, but I think that if I went back I would do it again. Obviously I won't do it again."
What did you take with you from this experience?
«The discovery of all my weaknesses and the importance of being humble is immaterial, because there we are puppets in the hands of the mountain. In Sardinia or in the Alps in my group I was always the first, always in front, and it annoyed me to see who was left behind. I was the last one there. Then very intense emotions, and many small seeds that have yet to germinate."
Objects instead?
«Not rocks because it is forbidden, and those who are disrespectful are discovered. With the roles reversed, it would be what tourists do here when they take away sand and so on. More like souvenirs, and reproductions of prayer wheels."
What are?
«They are found all along the route. You turn the wheel clockwise otherwise it brings bad luck, and "destiny" chooses a prayer for you that you send to heaven. They are extended formulas of the classic "Om" and are written in Sanskrit. Something like "let us meditate on that most adored Supreme Lord whose splendor illuminates all kingdoms".
Ready for a next adventure?
"I don't know if next year or the year after, but I would like to visit other extreme lands."
Have you already chosen?
«Antarctica. It's a good idea, isn't it?"