Force Motors Everest Expedition 2018 takes off

The Force Motors Everest Expedition 2018 was flagged off from the company's Akurdi plant on March 22.

The expedition to summit earth's tallest mountain at 8,848 metres will be undertaken by mountaineers Samir Patham and Sauraj Jhingan from Pune.

The duo departed from Pune March 25, on a 70-day expedition.

From Kathmandu, they will take about two weeks to reach the Everest Base Camp (5,437 metres) and three weeks from there to set camps higher up on the mountain.

The final summit attempt is expected by the end of May.

Speaking at the flag off where the expeditioners were presented with an ice axe and the Force Motors flag, Prasan Firodia, MD, Force Motors said, "We are happy to support Samir and Sauraj in this expedition. At 29,050 ft above sea level, -40 °C, winds at 200 kmph and 33% atmospheric oxygen, summiting Mount Everest is a true test of endurance and perseverance. All of us at Force Motors wish them the best in this endeavour of a lifetime."

Samir Patham quit his job in the IT sector to climb mountains in Europe, Africa, India and Nepal, while Sauraj Jhingan is an HR professional and a certified sky diver, who wishes to ascend the seven tallest peaks in seven continents.

"Every person aspires to conquer their own personal Everest; the one dream that redefines them. For us it is literally Mt Everest. Having attempted it in 2015 and 2017, and falling just short of the summit, we were tempted to give up. We thank Force Motors for the opportunity to give it a final shot, and backing us," they said.

The duo survived the 2015 earthquake in Nepal that triggered an avalanche on Mt Everest. They stayed back to assist in the relief work, braving aftershocks and the threat of more avalanches and left after a week of rescue work.

In the 2017 attempt, they reached 8,000 metres but were thwarted by bad weather.