Two-Time Everest Summiteer Kuntal Joisher

Vegan Mountaineer and Two-Time Everest Summiteer KUNTAL JOISHER

BY KARIN OLSEN / PLANT POWER PRODUCTIONS

The Everest veteran talks about overcoming his fear of heights and becoming a vegan activist by shattering stereotypes

VEGWORLD is thrilled to be the worldwide media sponsor of the inaugural Himalayan Vegan Festival and The World Vegan Organisation’s 7th Annual International Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal April 15-17, and in Thimpu, Bhutan April 18-20. As part of the countdown to next year’s events, VegWorld launched a profile series showcasing event speakers, sponsors and organizers. The first two -- Abhishek Sinha, CEO of GoodDot, India’s leading homegrown mock meat brand, and Kuntal Joisher, vegan mountaineer and two-time Mt. Everest Summitter -- appear in this issue and on vegworldmag.com. In conjunction, VEGWORLD is also launching a Facebook/IG live interview series. Dates and times to be announced. Also, be on the lookout for ways to win passes to the event. VEGWORLD will give away two pairs of all-inclusive Patron’s Passes and Packages for the festival that include three days/three nights in Kathmandu and the same package in Thimpu, courtesy of VegVoyages Foundation.

Celebrated vegan mountaineer Kuntal Joisher made a name for himself as the first vegan to climb to the top of Mt. Everest, not once, but twice. At the Himalayan Vegan Festival, he will share his journey and how his vegan lifestyle set the foundation for his achievements, providing the inspiration, physical strength, and mental stamina to reach the top.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), the mental factor has weighed the heaviest as he has had a fear of heights since he was a teen. He said it all started in 9th grade during his first climbing attempt. He lost control and was free-falling head-first down a cliff when his fast-acting instructor locked his rope and saved his life. While Joisher walked away with relatively minor physical injuries, the psychic scars have haunted him since.

The early trauma, which not only prompted the fear of heights but adventure as well, makes it all the more awe-inspiring that Joisher not only makes a living climbing but centers his life around the skill, debunking vegan athlete stereotypes and inspiring others to follow. Ultimately, he said, climbing is how he pursues his vegan activism. “The way I give back is to go do the crazy things, and it gets people to come and ask ‘how do you do these things?’ That’s my inspiration.”

He adopted a vegan lifestyle 18 years ago for the animals and said veganism is the first step he took to stand up for social justice in a cause he believes in. “I was always apathetic in not having a view on the issue, or I was as complicit as non-vegetarians eating animals. I didn’t consider how the choices of eating dairy and wearing leather impacted animals. There was no connection between my actions and my thoughts.” Becoming aware, he said, opened a flood gate of change. “I could look back at myself and fix things -- racism, sexism, casteism, discrimination against the LGBTQ community. I thought I was apathetic to these issues – I’m not apathetic – I was full of toxic beliefs. As soon as I made the connection with animals in that sense, I made a connection with all of these other issues and topics. I read and educated myself. Rather than being apathetic, I became empathetic when I became vegan, and it changed my life.”

His quest to climb Mt. Everest started seven years later, in 2010. He had been working in the safe confines of a software engineering career when he decided it was time to get out of his comfort zone. “I wanted to confront my fear. I never tried anything since 9th grade, so I signed up for a course to climb a 200-foot wall.” And, he said, just as he had done as a kid, he panicked while climbing. “My expedition leader said, if you don’t focus, you’re are going to die. I knew in that moment he was right. Everything became still, and panic gave way to calm. I got down safely by following instructions. I learned that if I focus enough, it will give way to calm where I can make rational choices. Now, every time I go up the mountain, I face the fear, but through relentless practice of going and doing the same thing more than a thousand times, I can overcome.”

Teaming up with one of the event sponsors, Zac Lovas, of VegVoyages, he hopes to interest those attending the Himalayan Vegan Festival in taking a fresh look at the mountain experience. “I want to shine a light on the Sherpa people as they are the heart of the Valley. Many of the larger, commercial villages are already rich, so we want to take people into the deeper villages where the Sherpas come from. They eat a lot of vegan food, and we want to bring those food experiences as well as their culture, hospitality, and history.” He added that people are always interested in how to pack, work, and live on the mountain as a vegan. “They feel if this guy can be a vegan and climb a mountain, then I can do anything.”