First Singapore university team to scale the world’s highest peak

In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first two. Since then, more than 2,000 people have reached the summit of Mt Everest.

We are proud that this group includes members of our NUS Everest Team.

On a clear sunny morning of 31 May 2005 at 9.40 am (Singapore time), as the NUS flag was unfurled on the summit of Mt Everest, there was a feeling of euphoria throughout the University. The NUS dream which began in 2002 has finally come to fruition.

Team member Lindley Zerbe was the first to reach the summit. Following Lindley’s successful climb, two other team members Stefen Chow E-Fung and Teo Yen Kai, also summited on 2 June 2005. The remaining two members, Ernest Quah and Ee Khong Lean were also close to reaching the summit. However, Ernest’s faulty oxygen tank and Khong Lean’s hands and feet which suffered from extreme climatic conditions forced them to turn back.

Their journey has been one thrilling adventure and a true test of endurance – scaling near-vertical ice walls with ladders tied end-to-end and crossing bottomless crevasses, braving the blistering 100kph winds and even narrowly escaping the onslaught of an avalanche. The Everest climb was all the more challenging as unusual and erratic weather conditions made this year’s summit window one of the latest and briefest on Everest. Hence, the long wait of nearly a month was a further test of the team’s physical and mental strengths.

The team’s summit comes after two and a half months of preparations in a series of acclimatisation climbs in Nepal. Prior to this, the team had embarked on an intensive training programme, with climbs to Mera Peak in Nepal, Mt Gasherbrum II in Pakistan and Mt Cho Oyu in Tibet; a 10-day Technical Mountaineering Course in New Zealand; and two ice climbing courses in China.

The 5-man NUS Everest team has proven that, after years of whole-hearted dedication and perseverance, dreams which seemed beyond reach can be achieved.

The summit success of the student (Yen Kai)-alumnus (Stefen)-staff (Lindley) trio reflects the NUS spirit and boldness to make seemingly unachievable aspirations a reality.

For the NUS Everest team, it is indeed "no dream too high".

Lulin Reutens was the base camp manager for the NUS Centennial Everest Expedition in 2005, and the team's training climb to Cho Oyu in 2004. She is the author of several books, most recently of Southbound: The Singapore Antarctica Expedition 2000, and Xixabangma, An Alpine Ascent of the North Ridge which was co-written with Robert Goh.