Bitter cold, howling winds, laboured breathing and extreme fatigue might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for mountaineer Gregory Attard it is the culmination of a dream.
The 36-year-old, a medical doctor by profession, formed part of the Maltese Challenge8000 team who scaled their first 8,000-metre mountain, Cho Oyu, in 2009. Together with fellow team members Robert Gatt and Marco Cremona, Dr Attard became the first Maltese to conquer Mount Everest in 2010.
It’s literally about how much pain you can take and for how long
And, now, his restless spirit will be leading him to undertake two gruelling challenges in the coming months. Today, he is heading to Alaska to climb Mount McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America, which is also very prone to storms.
Then, in July, he will attempt to become the first Maltese to scale two 8,000-metre high mountains consecutively, within a few weeks. Both mountains, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II, are in Pakistan.
Only a handful of people have successfully climbed both as a double-header.
The fatality rate shoots up as a climber would have used up most of his energy reserves on the first mountain, with no time to re-energise for the second. It is an extreme test of endurance.
“Making it to a mountain’s summit is not merely a psychological feat. It’s literally about how much pain you can take and for how long,” Dr Attard explains.
“Your conditions are very uncomfortable. You have to endure bitter cold, altitude sickness and exhaustion.”
By Dr Attard’s own admission, mountaineers are a rare breed.
They experience and relish a world that many people wouldn’t even consider taking the trouble to go to if they were paid.
Which begs the question: why the masochism?
“The satisfaction, the thrill is indescribable and extremely appealing to certain people,” he smiles.
As for the Mount McKinley climb, he will be accompanied by Robert Gatt. They will be carrying 50 kilograms of supplies and materials, using a sledge.
How does he prepare for such climbs?
“By going climbing as much as possible. This year I’ve been to Russia, Nepal Mount Etna and twice to the Alps. You need to be as fit as possible and exercise in conditions which mimic reality.”
The worst time, Dr Attard added, was summit day. Fatigue kicks in, oxygen levels plummet while altitude sickness can be debilitating. Beyond 7,000 metres, the human body never really acclimatises to its surroundings.
Mountaineers can only spend a couple of minutes at the summit before heading down.
And the so-called “summit fever”, the great adrenaline rush of reaching the peak, can be fatal.
“The majority of deaths and accidents happen on the way down.
“People tend to lose focus.”
Dr Attard has put his medical skills to good use by saving the lives of two climbers. He made international headlines when he helped Briton Bonita Norris who, at 22, was the youngest climber to scale Everest in 2010.
Dr Attard had just reached the summit and was making his way down when the group received a radio call notifying them that Ms Norris had run out of oxygen and was suffering from frostbite and altitude sickness.
He climbed up again and, together with a couple of Sherpas, helped bring her down.
While on Cho Oyu, in 2009, Dr Attard attended to an Australian climber at the base camp whose lungs were filling with fluid. He accompanied her for the four-day overland drive from Tibet to a hospital in Kathmandu in Nepal, where she made a full recovery.
Would he encourage others to take up this extreme sport?
“No,” was his immediate reply.
Then his face broke into a smile. “It’s not for everyone. But if you have the right frame of mind, it’s incredible.”