Taking a giant leap of faith Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala made history as the first Sri Lankan to reach the summit of Mount Everest, while her climbing partner Johann Peries was denied the chance due to a technicality, he too has earned the respect of the nation for his attempt at summiting Mount Everest. Realising a lifelong ambition this duo with a penchant for mountaineering all over the world has shown Sri Lanka a glimpse of what teamwork is all about. If lessons can be learnt from this amazing feat it is how Johann supported Jayanthi in her quest to conquer Mount Everest when the odds were against him. A fantastic achievement, it was indeed a united Sri Lanka that celebrated when Jayanthi unfurled the Sri Lankan flag on top of Mount Everest, a first for her and a first for Sri Lanka.
How did you get into mountaineering?
JAYANTHI: I always enjoyed climbing things from coconut trees to almirahs when I was a child. Then I started doing treks with friends, and this eventually led to a month-long mountaineering course in the Himalayas when I was at university. After this I was addicted!
JOHANN: The interest began during my school days when I used to go hiking and climbing with my father who was into outdoor activity. After that I pursued climbing mountains here and overseas to take myself to a different level.
How did the two of you kick start your climbing career?
JAYANTHI & JOHANN: We were introduced by a mutual friend who knew we were both mad about mountains. This was as Johann was preparing to climb Island Peak in 2012, and Jayanthi decided to join the trek. Island Peak / ImjaTse (6,189m) is in the Indian Himalayas and this was our first mountain together – we just clicked as a team. We successfully summited that mountain and realised that we made a good team together. From there our teamwork, and friendship, has gone from strength to strength, as has our climbing.
Jayanthi what was it actually like at the summit?
JAYANTHI: The summit is actually small. It is a pinnacle and the only national flag that is there is the Nepali flag. In addition to this, the summit was also dotted by a number of colourful Nepali prayer flags placed by climbers and sherpas. When I was there only two other climbers and a sherpa were there so it was not very crowded, which was also wonderful.
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