Sri Lankan Everest climbers make triumphant return

By Madushka Balasuriya

The first Sri Lankan ever to conquer Mt. Everest (8848m), Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, and her fellow mountaineer and compatriot Johann Peries – who climbed to 8400m, just short of the summit – spoke to the public for the first time yesterday following their triumphant return to the island.

“There were clouds all around and I was waiting for them to clear. That’s when I realised that we were actually above the clouds,” said Jayanthi, describing the moment she reached the ‘Top of the World’. “It was a fantastic moment, just really being there and knowing that I finally achieved my childhood dream.”

Addressing an eager audience packed with media, sponsors and well-wishers, Jayanthi added that the accomplishment was even more meaningful due to her background as a women’s rights activist.

“The real gravity of this accomplishment might only hit me later, but as a woman I am very, very proud. I know that in our society there are barriers for women in all sorts of jobs and activities, but I strongly believe that women and girls can achieve anything if they have access to equal opportunities.”

Jayanthi and Johann, who have worked together extensively since 2011, climbed for nearly two months in Nepal to acclimatise themselves to the altitude. The climb is known to be one of the most gruelling, with the climate on the mountain unforgiving. Temperatures range from -35 to -20 Celsius.

Despite his understandable disappointment at being unable to summit, Johann described their expedition as a victory for them as a team.

“It was a victory for me and, I think, it’s a victory for the two of us together. When I realised that I could not make it to the top, my first thought was ‘I hope J [Jayanthi] is on top’. We went as a team and in the end we made it to the highest points that two Sri Lankans have ever been. That is our story.”

Meanwhile, explaining why he was unable to reach the summit, Johann dismissed prior reports that it was down to health problems. He explained that he and Jayanthi had left at two separate times for the summit but, unfortunately for him, when he left he got caught to a “traffic jam on the mountain”.

“There was a team in front of us who, for some reason, were very slow. And they had come to standstill.”

Overtaking climbers on Everest is not advised as it requires climbers to mount themselves over those in front of them. However Johann and his guide were left with little choice.

“We were freezing. I was hanging on a 90 degree rope for over 45 minutes in one place. Finally, my sherpa short-roped me and we bypassed them. Otherwise we wouldn’t have got anywhere.”

The worst though was yet to come for Johann. After encountering yet more traffic, he eventually reached the south side of the mountain where he was just a few hundred metres from the summit. This was when he received the disastrous news that he would be unable to summit.

“As I stopped to drink some water, my sherpa checked my oxygen tank and said to me, ‘There’s enough oxygen for you to make it to the top, but not enough for you to come back.’ As you would imagine, after years of planning, I just sat there in disbelief.”

Johann said he meditated for a few seconds and eventually took a decision which he described as “one of the hardest decisions I had made in my life”. Looking back, he says he has no regrets.

“I was amazed at the response I got from everybody back home, whether they knew me or not. Yesterday at the supermarket, two people walked up to me and said ‘thank you for making the right choice’.”