Jul 7
Jantoon Reigersman’s Concludes Expedition from Deep Ocean to Everest


In the last year, Jantoon Reigersman challenged himself with “9000METER” – an attempt to dive to a depth of at least 152 meters below sea level and summit Mount Everest at 8,848 meters. In this post, Jantoon documents the second leg of his 9000METER project at the top of the world.

By Jantoon Reigersman

After a successful dive to 158 meters, I was ready for Everest. My original plan was to cycle from Kathmandu to Tibet, but before I began my trek I met challenges. I was supposed to be in Kathmandu only for one day to get permits. Unfortunately, Lhasa (where the final stamp has to be given) had been closed by the Chinese authority in anticipation of strikes in Tibet. No foreigners were allowed to enter Tibet until further notice.  Despite my daily trips to obtain the permit no progress was made, and eventually I decided to join the rest of the expedition team (sherpas, cooks and fellow climbers) in their jeeps and postpone the cycling.

To make use of the two weeks in Kathmandu however, I volunteered at a fantastic orphanage called My Home founded by a good Nepali friend. I was most impressed with the warmth and affection these children showed toward each other. Looking into their eyes it was apparent they felt part of a family; an incredible warm sight considering the experiences many of these children had to overcome in their early years. It proves that perseverance and the right attitude in life can change every person and provide individuals with the right opportunities. In short, it turned out to be a life-changing experience and inspiration for my pending ascent of Everest.

Finally departing Kathmandu, the trip to the Tibetan Everest base camp was beautiful. The landscapes, friendly people and stretched villages provided for a magical setting. Unfortunately, many of the Buddhist temples have been destroyed, but the few still there fully serve the community and provided me the necessary inner peace before starting the climb.

I felt good and my body was well acclimatizing at altitude. My climbing speeds were as I anticipated and I made good progress on the mountain. The only drawback in the first couple of weeks was a bug that caused me to have difficulties with keeping food down (even more than normal at altitude). Fortunately, after five days of losing some strength, I was able to get rid of the bug and recovered relatively quickly.

On the way down from one of the climbing stages and back in the safety of base camp, I heard the horrible news of the loss of an experienced Hungarian climber on the North Col. A large piece of ice had come down on him and took down most of the fixed ropes. It is always a shock to hear about the loss of life. Unfortunately, this is part of high-altitude climbing.

This accident would turn out to be a prelude for the season. It has been a hard season. Many problems have occurred – people suffering from high-altitude sickness, quick shifts of weather that could not be foreseen and long-lasting summit winds. Because of these conditions, I could not reach the summit – but there is always a next time. Everest is not going anywhere, and I know the variables have to be right in order to summit safely.

Although I was unable to complete the 9000METER challenge I set out for, I managed to achieve a greater goal – testing myself and learning that the unpredictable qualities of nature are what make it so worth exploring and preserving.


Author: - Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
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  1. David Coulson
    July 8, 2010 at 6:01 am

    Why wouldn’t you start at the Dead Sea? It is below sea level (–411 m)


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