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Kuntal Joisher

First Vegan to have Climbed Mount Everest

Who am I

Kuntal Joisher is an Indian mountain climber. According to VegNews, he is the first vegan to have climbed Mount Everest.

Surviving an almost fatal avalanche in 2015 during the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Joisher on his return to Mumbai arranged a photo exhibition and donated income he made from it to relief measures in Nepal. He says regarding his expedition, "it was important for me to send a message across the world that vegans can do it. I wanted to debunk every single myth around veganism."

In 2013, when Kuntal Joisher started training seriously for his attempt to climb Mount Everest, a lot of his compatriots and other climbers were sceptical. A few vegetarians may have summited the world’s highest mountain, but no one had ever heard of a vegan attempting, or climbing, Everest. And, their scepticism was not entirely misplaced. A diet rich in meat and dairy is especially recommended while climbing Everest, and doctors and dieticians think that while being vegan won’t stop you from being an elite athlete (or mountaineer), the rules are slightly different if you are a vegan. You’ve just got to try that much harder.

But, on May 19 2016, after a 45-day expedition, Joisher, 36, stood atop Everest