Meet the Unexpected Indian Software Engineer Who Left His Job to Climb Mount Everest!
“Nothing is impossible if a 110 kg Gujarati man who leads a sedentary lifestyle and has no experience with endurance training or mountain climbing can change his life and reach the summit of Mount Everest.”
In 2017, I came upon a picture of Kuntal for the first time. On Island Peak in Nepal’s Everest area, he stood with a Facebook-style inscription that attracted my attention. He was proud, slender, and weary.
I had only been vegan for a few years at that point, and people were still asking me where I get my calcium and protein. And here was Kuntal, a once-normal Indian software engineer, perched atop one of the most powerful and tallest mountains on Earth. the first individual to ascend Everest while following a vegan diet.
in last, I met Kuntal in a cafe in Mumbai, where he gave an incredible speech to a group of adventure-seeking, protein-curious people. Despite his accomplishment, Kuntal respectfully acknowledged that he could not be considered the first vegan to climb Everest since he wore a down jacket filled with duck feathers, which are insufficient because they are occasionally taken live from animals and frequently involve torture.
Thus, two years later, in 2019, Kuntal made another ascent of Everest, this time using cruelty-free equipment and following a vegan diet. No wool, no down. Save the Duck made a custom winter jacket for him out of recycled and synthetic plastic!
The path from mountain climbing to software engineering
“I would have assumed you were crazy ten years ago if you had told me I was going to quit my job and go mountain climbing!”
According to Kuntal, he was a cheerful software developer who was preoccupied with the 9–5 grind. He had no such interest, and no one in his family had ever climbed mountains. Then all changed after a vacation to North India’s Himachal Pradesh.
For the first time, his wife and he were in the middle of snow after a lengthy, scenic trip on the Hindustan Tibet route. Kuntal recalls the moment clearly. He sat down and gazed at the awe-inspiring scenery. All of the reflection on the past and anxiety about the future vanished. He was aware of every heartbeat and breath. He experienced genuine, profound joy for the first time in his life. He made the decision then and there that he would stop at nothing to achieve that mental state.
Regarding financing his travels without a full-time job
Like all outdoor enthusiasts, Kuntal probably had aspirations of conquering Mount Everest at some point. But in contrast to many, he put out great effort to realize this desire. When he attempted to resign, his software business offered him a flexible work schedule. He made the decision to only accept part-time jobs when he eventually left so that he would have plenty of time to train. Since 2010, he has trained in the Himalayas for three to four months each year. In Mumbai, the next months were divided between employment and rigorous training. His wife and family consciously decided to reduce their lifestyle in order to support his goal.
There is a mountain to climb for an ethical vegan.
The ascent of Everest was a spiritual and personal experience. It was also an opportunity to demonstrate that a vegan diet is nutrient-dense and capable of supporting the world’s most challenging physical endurance activity. ~ Kuntal Joisher
In 2002, shortly after relocating to California to pursue a master’s degree in computer science, Kuntal made the decision to go vegan. In addition to letting go of many of his preconceptions, he discovered the pain, cruelty, and death brought about by our decision to eat animal products like cheese and meat.
There was a lot of doubt about Kuntal’s intention to climb Everest while vegan. According to study, high altitude mountaineers may burn up to 6,000 calories a day in the mountains, according to the BBC. A diet that contains a range of meals to supply enough carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals to sustain them nutritionally during their trip is essential to mountaineers’ survival because of the extreme stress placed on their bodies. Protein-rich meals like eggs, yak cheese, and canned tuna are common among Everest climbers.