Background

Bangladesh Brand Forum has been one of the important parts of my life since 2014. It’s been almost 9 years since I have been working here. From being an executive to Head of Projects, BBF taught me a lot of things, things that always inspired me & things that kept me going in real life.  Our Chief Operating Officer, Sajid Mahbub, always says, “BBF is not a job or work that we do, BBF is a lifestyle that we live.” To be honest, it is indeed a true statement because whatever we do here, we do it for the country, and we do it to inspire Bangladesh.

The first time when I came to know about mount Everest, I was in class 5 at Government Laboratory High School. I attended a football match, and my team’s name was EVEREST. That was the 1st time when the name Everest hit my mind.

The mountain is one of the natural beauties that attracted me from my childhood. I started trekking back in 2012. As I was a student, I started trekking at Bandarban. From 2012 to 2022, I have summited Keokradong (the official highest peak of Bangladesh) 2 times (2012, 2015) & also been on different treks in Bangladesh. But 1st time when I went to Nepal in 2018, I realised that no other trekking could beat Everest base camp trekking. After that, when I went to Nepal again in 2021 with my friends, I totally understood that it’s now or never.

My TEAM

It was a journey of 3 Brothers. When I started preparation for the EBC trekking, I asked my close friends and family members if they were interested in doing the trekking. 2 of my brothers, Abrar & Hamdan, showed interest in going to the trekking.

Abrar is working as a Co-founder & Head of Growth at Gaffl. Gaffl is a US-based travel Startup.  Hamdan stays in Canada, and he is an engineer at JustEat Takeaway, Canada. Hamdan did the EBC trekking before in 2019. And for this trekking, he travelled from Canada.

To make the journey more exciting and challenging, we decided to go trekking without any local guide or porter. We also decided that we would not take any health insurance. The only thing we decided to take was the online map showing us the direction. So basically, we would be on our own throughout the whole trekking.

In the beginning, we finalised the route of trekking and we chose the 2nd longest route which includes Lukla (2,860 m) – Phakding (2,610 m) – Namche Bazar (3,440 m) – Dole (4,200 m) -Machhermo (4,470 m) – Gokyo (4,750 m) – Thagnak (4,358 m) – Dzongla (4,800 m) – Lobuche (4,940 m) – Gorakshep (5,164 m) – Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) – Thukla (4,620 m) – Namche Bazar (3,440 m) -Lukla (2,860m).

Preparation

So, after coming from Nepal, I started to take the preparation for the Everest Base Camp. For the preparation, there were a few things that we needed to focus on.

You will have several challenges like Altitude Sickness, Lack of Oxygen, Breathing Problems,  Rough weather,  Toilet & Sleeping Problems, Tiredness, and  Lack of Taste. But these challenges can be met with optimum dedication and preparation. But once met, the challenges will offer you the best possible outcomes in your life, the views of the trekking & the night sky.

Before going to start the trekking, we fixed some milestones that we wanted to achieve. Such as

1. Landing on the deadliest airport: Tenjing Hillary Airport, Lukla
2. Crossing World’s highest suspension bridge
3. Staying in the world’s highest village: Namche Bazar
4. Doing the Toughest climb & trekking at Chola Pass (5,330 m) (80-degree steep trek which also has to climb)
5. Reaching the Highest altitude: Kala Patthar (5,550 m)
6. 3 above 5000-meter peak Summit: Gokyo Ri (5360 m), Chola Pass (5330 m) & Kala Patthar (5,550 M)
7. Trekking through 3 Glacier: Ngozumba Glacier, Chola Glacier & The Mighty Khumbu Glacier
8. Reaching Everest Base camp (5,364 m)

Physical fitness is essential for successful and safe trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC). Here are some key components of physical fitness you should focus on to prepare for EBC trekking:

< Physical Fitness: 1st thing for successful EBC trekking is fitness. So, I started working out more on core physical strength. For the trek, both upper body & lower body strength is mandatory because the lower body will help to trek, and the upper body will help to carry backpacks.

< Cardiovascular endurance: to cope with high altitude and long hours of trekking.

< Muscle strength: to carry a backpack and tackle challenging terrain. I took a backpack which is around 15 kg, but when the altitude increases the backpack will start to feel like 100 kg. So, it is very important to focus on muscle strength.

< Flexibility: to prevent injury and manage physical stress

< Balance: to maintain stability on uneven trails

< Endurance: to handle long days of trekking

< Mental strength: it’s also important to keep the mental strength high for the EBC trekking because after 70% trekking I understood that when the body becomes really tired and exhausted, only the mental strength will keep the journey going.

< Winter Clothing: As I targeted that I will do the trekking in November, I did my study about the weather in the Everest region. November is the starting time of winter in Nepal. The average temperature normally stays 5-10 degree Celsius during the day, and at night, it drops down to -15 (which feels like -20 to -25 degree Celsius. So, taking heavy winter clothes was mandatory for me as I will go there from 30 degrees (Avg temperature in Bangladesh).

Lessons that I learned from Bangladesh Brand Forum & worked at EBC Trekking

For me, the mountain is the real place where I feel the real adventure. When the weather gets harsh with uncertainty, the chance of an avalanche, breathing issues etc., our strong determination, proper communication, teamwork & well-equipped preparation make my team and me unstoppable.

Nature is a strong force that we can never beat, but treating nature with respect can bring the success that we dreamed of, and to do that, there is no alternative to

TEAMWORK

Teamwork is essential for a successful and safe Everest Base Camp Trekking & also in office experience. Some key aspects of teamwork include

Communication: Regularly check in with each other, share concerns and goals, and discuss any problems.

Trust: Have confidence in each other’s abilities and be willing to rely on each other.

Support: Offer encouragement and help to others, especially when they struggle.

Responsibility: Take ownership of tasks and follow through on commitments.

Flexibility: Be willing to adjust plans and adapt to changing conditions.

Respect: Treat each other with kindness and respect, and consider each other’s needs and opinions.

By working together, the team can overcome challenges, support each other, and have a memorable and successful trek.

I want to finish with a famous example from our Founder & Managing Director, Mr Shariful Islam.  & this example actually motivated me like anything. In 2016 when we (BBF) were doing Bangladesh YouthFest for the first time. It was my first nationwide program & because of this programme, my team and I had to travel all over the country, it was a continuous travel and it was a really very tiring project, at one point, we said to Sharif Bhai that we all were very tired. In reply, Sharif Bhai gave us a life-changing motivation which worked like a booster for me. It was an example of “How to become an Navy Seal?”.

Not everyone can become a Navy Seal. Those who apply for the Navy Seals have to go through a long, tough & challenging process. This process takes both mental & physical determination to become an Elite Seal member. Only those can become Seals who push their selves to the limit.  By pushing their limit till the end, they come to know that there is no such thing called END. There is only one thing, and that is being Limitless. Those who become or can make their selves limitless become a Navy Seal.

So, push yourself to the limit and keep pushing to the limit. One day you will become LIMITLESS.

Iftikhar Ishaque Ratul

Head of Projects & Events

Bangladesh Brand Forum