Everest: Roll Call

It’s been a while since I last wrote.  During this time, I’ve been busy with base or foundation training (getting basic fitness).  I’m happy to report that my knees have survived, and I’m ready to push my training further.

For a ‘flatland’, urban, tropical island boy like me to want to climb Everest reminds me of the movie ‘Cool Runnings’ and the Jamaican Bobsled team.  The training won’t be easy because there just isn’t mountainous terrain for me to train on in Singapore.  It can be done with endless hours spent climbing  stairs or on the gym’s treadmill or stair-master, but it will be boring, and I’m going to need lots of motivation and will-power.  Still, some of my countrymen (and women :o) have done it.  Here’s a list of Singaporean Everest summiteers:

• 2005, Teo Yen Kai*, age 24, South Col Route, MIR/International Mountain Guides 
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• 2006, Khoo Swee Chiow^ , age 42, South Col Route, Malaysia/Singapore Friendship Expedition

• 2007, Ang Yau Choon, age 40, South Col Route, International Mountain Guides

• 2009, Lee Li Hui**, age 27, South Col Route, NATAS SWET/International Mountain Guides

• 2009, Esther Tan, age 26, South Col Route, NATAS SWET/International Mountain Guides

• 2009, Jane Lee, age 25, South Col Route, NATAS SWET/International Mountain Guides

• 2009, Joanne Soo, age 39, South Col Route, NATAS SWET/International Mountain Guides

• 2009, Lee Peh Gee, age 32, South Col Route, NATAS SWET/International Mountain Guides
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• 2010, Lien Choong Luen, age 36, South Col Route, International Mountain Guides
• 2011, Khoo Swee Chiow, age 46, North Ridge Route, (not sure who organized logistics for Khoo)
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• 2011, Kenneth Koh, age 46, North Ridge Route, Project Himalaya

Update! Add one more to the list:  Lien Choong Luen summitted Everest on 23 May 2010 via the South Col Route with International Mountain Guides

* First and youngest Singaporean Everest Summiteer (With all due respect to Mr. Khoo Swee Chiow and Mr Edwin Siew, they were Malaysian citizens at the time they summited Everest in 1998 ;o)
^ Khoo Swee Chiow climbed Everest for the second time in 2006, this time as a Singapore Citizen :o)
** First Singapore woman summiteer

Update! I managed to summit Everest on 27 May 2011, making me the 10th Singaporean to summit Mt. Everest.  Woohoo!  I'm also the 2nd Singaporean to summit Everest via the North.  Mucho congratulations to Khoo Swee Chiow, who made his 3rd Everest summit, and beat me to being the first Singaporean up the North side of Everest by 5 days.