CHICOPEE  – A Chicopee native is taking a journey to the top of the world.

Vyacheslav Tokarev, a member of the class of 2005 at Chicopee High School, is currently in Nepal and preparing for his ascent up Mount Everest.  

Conducting an interview via email – telephone service is problematic – he shared with Reminder Publications his progress and motivations.

How long have you wanted to do this?

“I became fascinated with the climbing of Mt. Everest junior year in university. It was unprompted and I didn't know anyone who had done it. The Everest movie wasn't out yet. I have since been out of school for eight years. At the time it seemed like something impossible due to the time commitment (two months) and cost involved (expedition is costing me about $100,000). I was heavily in debt as a university student so it was just the beginning of a dream. I did the Everest base camp trek two years ago and that is when it really hit me that I really want to go to the summit and that I can do this. During the 10 day trek I was thinking, if hundreds or thousands of others could, why not me? It helped that along the way I was meeting people who had either climbed Everest (Nepalis/Sherpas) or were on their way (western climbers trekking to base camp, one guy was over 60 years old). So, in order to get ready for Everest I decided to climb some of the seven summits (tallest mountain on each continent) as preparation. I summited four of them last year (Denali in Alaska, Aconcagua in Argentina, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mt. Vinson in Antarctica). Mt. Everest would be the fifth summit and I intend to climb the remaining two sometime in the next year if I'm successful on Mount Everest.

“In short, I’ve really wanted to climb Mount Everest the last two years but the first inspiration came about nine years ago (I’m 31).”

How long does this effort take?

“It takes the average climber about a month and a half, sometimes two depending on weather windows. Different guiding companies have different philosophies on climbing the mountain. Alpine Ascents International (AAI), the company I'm climbing with, takes a bit longer to help their clients acclimatize better. They tend to start out the first week of April to get to base camp. The first rotation up the mountain will take us to camp 2 around mid April. The final summit push is usually done around mid to end of May. Each season is different due to weather conditions. You don't want to be high up on the mountain with high winds. Alan Arnette has a great blog about different companies guiding philosophies and has the best coverage of the Everest climbing season. He keeps track of where each team is on the mountain each season and is doing so for 2018.

“There are also speed climbers who climb in fast alpine style and they have climbed Everest within days. I'm not sure what the current record is on Everest.

“To give you some numbers, I have requested 66 days of personal leave from my employer. (It was by far the coolest vacation request) It takes the average climber a minimum of 40 days to climb Mt. Everest Expedition style with a median range of about 50. We hope to be done with the whole expedition before 60 days, so around May 29th we hope to be off the mountain and heading home.”

So far, what are your impressions of your journey?

It has been a wild and highly rewarding ride. I don't consider the Mt. Everest expedition alone as the journey. The journey began with that first trek to Everest base camp in 2016. I became obsessed with the outdoors and mountaineering. Seeing the Himalayas and experiencing the Nepali culture changed me forever. Later that year I did a winter mountaineering course in the Alps for a week, climbing 14,000 foot peaks in Italy, Switzerland and France. A few months later I climbed Kilimanjaro. Few weeks after that I climbed Aconcagua. I was becoming more passionate with each peak. Few weeks after that I did another winter mountaineering/Denali prep course to get ready for a difficult climb on Denali. After dragging sleds and carrying 60-70 pounds packs up the mountain, all the while avoiding crevasses, that experience gave me the confidence to believe that I could also summit Mount Everest. The goal of climbing mount. Vinson in Antarctica was to get me prepared for cold temperatures and high winds on Everest.

“As you can imagine this has become quite an expensive endeavor. That part has not been easy since I’m entirely self-supported. The seven summits will cost me around $200,000. I have considered fundraising to raise awareness for different causes but after being honest with myself I acknowledged that this is for my own ambition.

“Considering and weighing the cost, the journey has taken me through the plains and jungles of Tanzania. I went on an epic animal safari after climbing Kilimanjaro. It has taken me through the wilderness and wildness of Alaska. I saw a lot of wildlife on that trip. It has introduced me to the Argentinian culture of dance, delicious steak and wine. In Antarctica I got to experience the most pure environment of barren snow and ice fields. All the while, I have been surrounded by mountains.”

Pardon my ignorance, but does your group intend to go to the summit, literally the top of the world?

“Every single one of us is laser focused to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and the top of the world. Please have a look at the Alpine Ascents website. There you will find training requirements, gear cost, guiding cost, etc. We had to be accepted to join the expedition and everyone on the climb has a lot of mountaineering and outdoor experience. AAI turns down people from their Denali and Everest climbs every year. Just because you have the money doesn't mean you can show up and be pushed up the mountain (common misconception). Everyone climbs under their own power.

“I think the biggest and most important question is why.

“For me, this is a personal development journey. To willingly choose something difficult and potentially fatal and struggle through it for the sake of character building. Anyone who has run a marathon or participated in a challenging sporting event can draw parallels to why we choose such difficult goals. The training and physical preparation has taught me physical discipline. I’d wake up in the middle of the night freaking out that I missed a workout, going out in the middle of the night and running. I live in Dubai so instead of climbing mountains or hill running I’m climbing staircases in skyscrapers. I want to face my deepest fears and insecurities on this climb and hopefully come out stronger on the other side. Through this I hope to become a better and stronger person that could serve others. That’s the meat and potatoes of why. The other rewards/bonuses are the story, the adventure and the romance of being in the mountains.”

Reminder Publications intends to conduct a post-climb interview with Tokarev later this year.