No Mountain Too High

by Kumaran Rasappan MD, Juleen Shaw (Creator)

A school trip to rural Nepal when Kumaran Rasappan was 15 years old gave him his first glimpse of Mt Everest, and launched him on a lifelong journey of adventuring that would take him to over 20 mountains, from the wilderness of Kilimanjaro to the frozen glaciers of Sichuan and ultimately to the roof of the world, Mt Everest.

Dr Kumaran tells the story of his extraordinary journey from sheltered Singaporean to adventurer, doctor and humanitarian. Along the way, he witnessed death, experienced avalanches, survived earthquakes and made surprising discoveries about the tenacity of the human spirit, the nature of success and failure, and the beauty of different cultures. The biggest lesson that his journey has taught him is that one's success and failure cannot be defined by others. Each one of us has our own mountain to climb.

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Shawn P · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can’t quite help drawing parallels between this book and Project Possible by Nirmal “Nims” Purja about how the latter summited the 14 eight thousand metre peaks of the world in record time. Both books started with an abundance of naysayers when the aspirations were first revealed, narrated how promising trajectories in career got interrupted (Kumaran on starting medical housemanship, Nims on getting his end-of-service pension), how each man worked against time to get sponsors, living apprehensively while realising their dreams, all driven by a consuming passion for the mystique of the mountains.

But that’s where the 2 books diverged in their themes. Where Project Possible is all about machismo, supreme athleticism and astounding the world, this book exhibits a more human side while at the same time providing more detailed, quirky accounts of the ascents. It’s story telling in its most visceral and vulnerable - how the writer juggles a budding medical career with tackling the giant peaks and serving the Nepalese community in the medical outposts in villages with his future wife. Despite self doubts, the writer climbed 4 eight thousand metre peaks (Cho Oyu, Everest, K2, Makalu) and garnered a wealth of unique experiences interacting with colourful individuals from across the world. That he only managed to summit Everest and had to turn back before the summits of the other three, does not in any way detract from the magnitude of his achievement. I’m inspired by a quote from the book: “Your comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there.”

Dr Kumaran Rasappan is an excellent writer and the humility, compassion and iron grit shines through in his quest to exceed his own limits. This is Singapore’s version of Project Possible. I’m proud that we both came from the same alma mater in Singapore, a secondary school called Raffles Institution. Auspicium Melioris Aevi.

[Ramu Vairavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book with goosebumps! Hugely inspired by Dr Kumaran Rasappan's adventures and work. I think I first heard him speak a decade ago. He was addressing a packed auditorium of bright-eyed girls and boys, me seated amongst them. I recall him recounting his experience of asking his dad to sign the indemnity form before he set off for Everest, the days he spent with Scouts, and his exploits in the Himalayas. I was wowed by his photos and stories, and the call of the mountains grew louder in me.

The second time I heard Dr Kumaran speak was at a reunion gathering of MIR members several years later, after having had my first taste of technical mountaineering. Again I remember some memorable anecdotes of his from then, like how he was moved by the heartfelt gratitude of a guide whose daughter he had helped to treat (for scalding), and how an elderly woman's vision "improved" significantly after just a cleaning of her dirty spectacles. I read about these amazing moments in his life and many new stories eagerly.

I loved how Dr Kumaran married climbing and community work in his life. It appeared to me that the book focussed on mountaineering in the first half and shifted gears into medicine in the second half. Dr Kumaran goes into specifics and details, walking us through his expeditions and projects from start to end. As such, one comes away having learnt a great deal about and having gained insights into both mountaineering and medicine without having stepped so much as a foot on the mountains or picked up a stethoscope. The book is thus a superb resource for anyone seeking to walk in his path, for aspiring mountaineers and medical workers alike.

However, it also speaks broadly to people from all walks of life. The diverse topics covered in the book include: Dr Kumaran's family background, the climbing community in Singapore, scouting and values, Sherpas and their way of life, the value of mentorship, the role of luck and higher powers, prominent peaks around the world, mountaineering history and record setters, technical mountaineering, high altitude problems and remedies, fund raising, project planning, disaster recovery, humanitarian aid, and more.

I especially enjoyed the mountaineering and life quotes peppered throughout the book and at the start of every chapter. The colour photos were great additions too. A few photos were absolutely breath-taking, for instance, the view of Makalu along the descent on Everest (pg 204), and the view of K2 from Concordia (pg 253).

A serendipitous encounter - I was reading the book on the MRT when a traveller strolled in with luggage. He sat beside me and after recognising Kathmandu (just rattled by the 2015 quake) in a picture on the book, he pointed to it and said he has been there. It turns out, he's a Nepali from Pokhara who just arrived in Singapore for a 3-day vacation. We then bonded over our half-hour commute exchanging stories. I was thrilled at the coincidence. I was also pleasantly surprised to see familiar names like Melvin Lim and Mr Krishnan Pillay in the book. It's a small world.

Motivated to embark on my next climb after this read. Everest might just be within reach one day. No Mountain Too High!

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming back to Singapore after climbing mountains in Europe, I had a great and increasing passion for mountaineering. I picked up the first book I saw on my shelf. It turned out to be published in Singapore! I was surprised and I felt that I could take great inspiration from his story to become a mountaineering Singaporean too.

Dr Kumaran details most of his life, from the first view of Everest at 15 years old, to becoming a doctor, funding his expeditions, and all his various climbs (no matter failed or succesful), in this auto-biography. He is an incredibly kind-hearted, open, high-achieving man who constantly pushes himself past his limit, all while helping others in whatever way he can. He acknowledges that it is a team effort, naming and detailing the lives and contributions of countless Singaporeans and Nepalese people, not all of them mountaineers. I've noticed that even though he talks about some climbers with nasty demeanours (like the guy who threatened to sue him on K2, and the Everest guide), he takes care not to name them to protect their privacy and dignity.

There is such an incredible wealth of information and history related to climbing, mountaineering, Nepal, and medicine conveyed by Dr Kumaran. He talks alot about the villages of Nepal in the Himalayan Range, his second home, through many years and many events. Since 15 years of age, he's been to Gorkha for humanitarian work, to contribute to their secondary school. Before embarking to the summit of Everest, he was at the village of Phortse to start a clinic for the villagers, only to be replaced by his doctor wife for two months while he climbs Everest. After the 2015 massive earthquake that hit Nepal, he and his wife went back in separate relief teams to help, and after that they started Project Aahale for long-term recovery efforts and medical assistance to more remote Nepalese villages. Throughout all these, he talks about his many mountaineering achievements and their near death experiences, notably K2 and Makalu, which are his last 8000ers before fatherhood. He failed to summit both, but those were his proudest climbs. The ability to be able to draw the line and turn back is extremely important in life; sometimes failure is seen as success.

Dr Kumaran has inspired me greatly, not only in the area of mountaineering, but how to live out my life, especially coming from a fellow Singaporean. As he closes his book, he asks, "What is your Everest? What beckons your heart and fills your dreams?" He has taught me to overcome my fear: fear of the unknown, fear of failing, fear of stepping outside of my boundaries; to push myself, and to achieve greatness.

I hope to meet him one day.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read of Dr Kumaran's mountaineering journey and the valuable life lessons learned along the way.

I've never climbed, or had an interest in anything remotely South Asian, but was captivated by the stories of the mountains, villages and people, that not only did I feel like I was alongside him on this arduous journey, I have even learned a few mountaineering terms! And, turns out climbing is so much more than just about the sport itself but also a lifelong exercise in perseverance, trust, kindness, friendship and more...

Be sure to follow the links at the end of the book - you'll have a deeper appreciation, understanding and awe at the videos and blog content.