Recent reports about the missing Singaporean Everest climber have generated discussions on the toughness of the endeavour (‘I would never return to Everest’: S’porean mountaineers who made the climb recall how tough it was, May 28).

I have been involved in many endurance sports, including marathons and month-long climbs, but high-altitude mountaineering is the most challenging.

Many seem to think that physical fitness is the key, but there is much more that is required of a climber.  The need for psychological resilience, to be able to withstand the feeling of remoteness and isolation, is often overlooked.

Besides, the unpredictability of the weather and the speed at which it can turn from perfectly fine to a blinding blizzard requires even the most experienced climber to have nerves of steel.

Quite often, the snow is almost up to knee level, requiring one to lift each leg high up just to move one little step. All that is done in the thin atmosphere where breathing in oxygen is a challenge.

When 80-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura became the oldest climber to reach the summit, someone commented to me that climbing Everest cannot be so hard. This is akin to saying that if one crosses a highway blindfolded and makes it to the other side, then others can do it as well.

This is not meant to discourage those with ambitions of reaching the summit. We should aim high but remain grounded on the realities of mountaineering.

Presence of mind can decide if you live or die. Very often, upon seeing that the summit is within striking range, some refuse to heed the order to turn around, forgetting that a delayed descent risks having rising clouds enveloping and disorientating you.

The key to success is preparation – physically, mentally and psychologically. And pray that the mountain will be kind and luck is with you.

Peh Chwee Hoe