2026 on May 20 and 21, the Armenian tricolor was hoisted on the top of the world’s highest mountain, Everest (8848 m). One of the mission implementers It was mountaineer Gevorg Gasparyan. We talked with him about the obstacles encountered on the way, overcoming them, mountain climbing.

– You are one of those persons who, it can be said, fulfilled the dream of many. But let’s start from the beginning. Being a veterinarian by profession, when did you become interested in mountaineering?

– It turned out that in 2011 I climbed Aragats for the first time and then Azhdahak, a number of mountains on the Syunik Plateau. That’s how a love for mountaineering was born. 2012 I climbed Mount Ararat for the first time, then various mountains.

– You have climbed Mount Ararat 26 times. How did you feel the first time you went up?

– For the first time, I was lucky to be on the top of Ararat, in ideal clear weather conditions. Yerevan was very well visible. The first ascent was very exciting, I am still impressed. We went up with 4 friends.

– Is Ararat beautiful from this side or that side?

– It is very beautiful from both sides. We simply do not take into account that Bayazet is at an altitude of 1,600 meters, while the Ararat Valley is at an average of 1,000 meters. It turns out that we see 1000 meters shorter and this circumstance confuses many people that it is more beautiful from this side.

– What problems do mountaineers face in general, and who can become a mountaineer?

– There are many problems with mountaineering. First of all, it is quite an expensive activity, starting with the acquisition of property. If you want to engage in mountaineering, it is desirable that you have your own property and do not save money for it, because your safety depends on it, your life in difficult mountain conditions, because the weather can change every second, and you will find yourself in very difficult conditions. The second is physical preparation, and finally, psychological preparation.

– Is there an item that is always in your backpack?

– There are several. Swiss Army knives with many tools on them. I have a headlamp and a first aid kit. I always have the Armenian flag in my backpack.

– Do you remember the most difficult climb?

– Definitely Everest, with its length, weight, two months of non-stop ascent and descent.

– How many days did it take to climb Everest?

– 57 days.

– Was there a moment when you said: enough, I’m going down?

– No. I have always thought that I am here for the top, I came for that purpose and regardless of the difficulties, reaching the top is the most important thing, but at the same time I have been as vigilant as possible. If at some point I felt that it was too dangerous and I had to go back, I was ready for that.

– You have faced many dangers on the way.

– Yes, there were many dangers, and from time to time I wonder why it happened to me. Most of our group made it up without any problems, although some turned back halfway.

For example, there was a very big avalanche during the ascent, and two of the people who passed ahead of us were injured. At that very moment, the entire ascent stopped and, fortunately, the helicopter was able to approach and take people immediately to the hospital.

The second case was related to the unprofessional and irresponsible work of the sherpa (guide). During the descent, I was without oxygen for about the last hour. That part is called the death zone, and everything depends on the oxygen cylinder, the amount of oxygen. When it runs out, the body begins to slowly die, and you have a very short period of time to restore the amount of oxygen in the blood.

Besides, in the death zone, regardless of oxygen, your physiological functions slow down. That is why it is called the death zone. it is necessary to get up and down as soon as possible.

The last incident happened before reaching the base camp. It was almost an hour before we reached the camp, and the ascent could be considered officially over, because the Nepalese government considers that if you start from the base camp, go all the way to the top and come back all the way to the camp, you get your summit certificate. If you take a helicopter from the return road at 6400 m and go down to the base camp, they don’t give you a summit certificate.

Anyway, it was an hour before we reached the base camp and we were crossing the crevasse using a bridge made of steps, and as I was crossing, there was an avalanche and rock fall and the rocks started to fall in our direction. The Sherpas, who pull the ropes so you can keep a little balance, left the ropes and ran away in fear, and I was left standing in the very center of that bridge. It lasted about 30 seconds. Fortunately, no stone hit me. Then the Sherpas appeared again, pulled the ropes, and I crossed.

– If an unfortunate incident happens, who is responsible?

– Every person is responsible for himself. In the case of Everest, you sign an agreement consisting of several pages, that you understand everything, you will not blame anyone for anything, unless, of course, the issue is not organizational problems, but natural disasters, phenomena, etc.

– You were left without oxygen because of them, they left you on the stairs, so if something happened to you, who would answer?

– They were definitely responsible for the oxygen. In the other case, we all understand that when the stone comes at you, first of all you think about your safety. If the stone had hit one of the Sherpas, it would be hard to imagine what would have happened: it might have knocked me back too. They saw that the stone was coming in their direction, they left it, ran away, and actually the stones fell in the area where they were standing. No stones were thrown in the direction of the stairs where I was standing. I do not blame them at all in this regard.

– You don’t seem to be lucky with companions. A few years ago, the 78-year-old Sherpa left you alone.

– Yes, Hv. While climbing Aconcagua, the highest peak in America, in the middle of the way, the guide said that he didn’t feel well, he had to go back, and we were left without a guide. We were 4-5 people, as if his assistant was to accompany us, he was also on that mountain for the first time, and the local “policemen” appeared at the top and said that we cannot go to the top without a guide. And we had a long, hard way to reach the base camp.

We gathered our thoughts and strength, took a new guide, went up and down. It turned out that we climbed that mountain twice. It was quite difficult to climb and descend 7000 meters.

– You fought a life-and-death struggle, including trials․ Has there ever been a time when you were disappointed?

– There was no disappointment, but of course you always learn from similar experiences. For example, I decided for myself that after Everest, I will no longer climb mountains with a height of 8000 meters. But there are several mountains that I definitely want to finish.

– How many mountains are waiting for you now?

– Three definitely. The highest peak of Antarctica, the highest peaks of Australia and North America.

– During the USSR, mountaineering was considered a collective sport. They climbed with at least 4 people. have those traditions been preserved now?

– During the USSR, we had a generation of very good climbers. They are quite experienced climbers. But, if we compare with what we have now, naturally, the school is inferior in many ways. Now we don’t have those procedures, trainings given at the state level, we don’t have a group approach either. It is done through NGOs as much as possible. Hiking clubs, which organize hikes in a certain direction, play a big role, and it is very good that there are people interested in hiking and mountain climbing among our public, and their number is increasing.

– All over the world, mountaineering seems to have turned into a business, not so much in Armenia.

– No, it has not turned into a business. Mountain climbers are engaged in mountain climbing, but for which mountain, how much do they have to pay? Usually, famous mountains have business potential, if those mountains are not climbed, they are free to walk around, not too high mountains to climb, and it does not need a lot of resources and business.

– I thought, we can also use our mountains for business purposes.

– I don’t think so. Such ideas have been voiced over the years that, for example, an access permit should be set for Aragats, but it seems to me that we still have a problem with developing mountaineering and trekking tourism rather than setting an access permit.

– Now bloggers have become mountaineers.

– They didn’t become. They started going to the mountains and are far from mountaineering. But they are able to raise money for such climbs very easily. Unfortunately, they are increasing and causing queues, especially on Everest. Of course, there are bloggers who are engaged in professional mountain climbing.

– Mountaineering is considered a way to discover friends and people in general. How many people have you discovered through that?

– Actually a lot. I have been actively engaged in mountain climbing for about 15 years, and there have been years that I have climbed Ararat with 100 people in 4-5 groups. It is deeper to climb a mountain with a person once and discover him, because the conditions are very different. That’s why when you cut someone in the mountains, it mostly shows the nature of the person.

– One of the famous climbers Reinhold Messnernoted that the mountain that does not contain danger, and the person who climbs it, is not considered a mountaineer. Do you agree?

– Of course I agree. Since you reminded Mesner, I should say that he is the first person in the world who climbed 14 eight thousand meters without oxygen. Legendary mountaineer. One of his senior mountaineer friends wrote to me: “Always remember that you can try to climb Everest three more times, if this time you don’t succeed and you have to go back,” he gave the example of Messner. he tried 20 times for the ascent of 14 eight thousand meters, and that is the secret of success that Messner is still alive today and is one of the best examples of mountaineering.

– Can mountain climbing cause health problems?

– Of course. They can get serious fractures. There are many cases of frostbite. All the fingers of one of the girls in our group got frostbite. This is one of the most dangerous parts of the mountain. if first aid is not given in time, life is in danger. If we talk about mountain climbing, it only strengthens and makes a person healthy. If we pay attention, people aged 70-80 years old in European countries are still engaged in mountain climbing and active skiing. And if we try to compare it with our society, we will understand how different they are. A significant part of the society in those countries is engaged in it.

– You are considered the second Armenian who climbed Everest.

– After Igor Khalatyan, yes, I am the second citizen of RA. If I remember correctly, we have 8 people from the diaspora who climbed Everest and the first one, Lev Sarkisov, in 1999.

– What gift do mountaineers who reach the end receive?

– No gift. photo.

– What advice would you give to young people who want to climb their “Everest”?

– I will advise you to prepare. Not to mention property, physical fitness, which is an important prerequisite. Everest is a mountain that requires a long mountain experience, with several mandatory ascents up to 7000 meters. You learn something from climbing every mountain and apply that experience to climbing Everest. At the same time, psychological preparation is many times more important. If you break down psychologically during the ascent, you will just turn around and come back. Most of our group did so.

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