Kala Patthar Kala Patthar is located on the east side of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas. This place is over 5,600m above sea level. This land is known by many adventure lovers as one of the places with the harshest climate.
In mid-winter (December to February), temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Celsius, with strong winds, severe oxygen shortages and the risk of blizzards.
At the end of 2024, Vashna Thien Kim (born in 1991, Ho Chi Minh City) had a 21-day trip, from December 23, 2024 to January 12, 2025 - the destination was Kala Patthar.
Talking about her determination to choose to conquer this never-before-seen journey, the young girl said that she wanted to prove its effectiveness and experiment with the ability to overcome the physical and mental limits of normal people.
“With mountain peaks at an altitude of 6,000m or higher, I was required to have special climbing and rope-climbing skills. As someone who had no experience in mountain climbing, Kala Patthar was the most suitable place for this trip,” Vashna Thien Kim shared.
From Gorakshep (the last stop before reaching the peaks above 5,000m) to Kala Patthar is only 200m but the whole group had to spend 3 hours climbing. The terrain was extremely rugged and difficult, accompanied by strong winds that could knock people over, and limited visibility due to dust.
However, she said everything becomes worth it when reaching the top because this is the place with the clearest and most beautiful view of Mount Everest (8,848m), along with typical peaks such as Lho La (6,006m), Nuptse (7,861m)...
“The Himalayas in winter appear like a majestic and magical picture. The towering mountains are covered with a layer of white snow, sparkling under the sunlight, creating a magical and pure scene.
The mountain peaks touch the clouds, like sparkling crowns, standing out against the clear blue sky. The space is strangely quiet, with only the sound of the cold wind whistling through the mountain passes and the occasional sound of snow falling gently on the ground. The pine forest vegetation is immersed in a blanket of white snow, creating a beauty that is both wild and charming,” Thien Kim expressed.
Along the way, the group occasionally encountered simple wooden houses of the indigenous people, surrounded by natural grass gardens, with yaks wearing bells around their necks, creating sounds like ringing bells.
Despite the harsh weather, Thien Kim still overcame obstacles and climbed to the top of Kala Patthar in the middle of freezing winter to undertake an unimaginable challenge: Meditating for 60 minutes in harsh weather without using any support equipment, wearing only a thin layer of clothing.
To ensure health, Thien Kim applies the HaaMa breathing method - using both nose and mouth when breathing, creating sound, combined with body movements to help release negative emotions, excess energy, and eliminate accumulated toxins.
“Using the HaaMa breathing method has helped me store a much larger amount of oxygen in my body, while also helping to circulate the blood vessels that were blocked in my body due to the cold temperature, thereby reducing symptoms of swelling throughout the body, headaches, chest tightness, shortness of breath and radiating heat to make my body less cold,” she shared.
Known as a quite active environmental activist, Vashna Thien Kim was the official ambassador of the Vietcombank Mekong Delta Hau Giang International Marathon 2022. She hopes to use her running steps with thousands of athletes to raise her voice and spread the message of protecting the living environment, places that are suffering serious consequences from drought, saltwater intrusion and unsustainable resource exploitation.
