CONQUERING ASIA'S HIGHEST VOLCANO

This inspirational duo scaled Mount Damavand in Iran to raise funds for children with cancer.

After a successful 220km charity trek through a Himalayan mountain range last year, 2nd Sergeant (2SG) (NS) Ashok Kumar and 3SG (NS) Ashik Ashokan now add Asia's highest volcano to their list of conquests.

In June this year, they reached the 5,610m-high summit of Mount Damavand without the help of a guide or porter, raising about $80,000 for the Children s Cancer Foundation (CCF).

"(We used) climbing a difficult mountain as a metaphor to represent the daily struggles of children with cancer," explained 3SG (NS) Ashik, a final-year undergraduate.

Extreme conditions

The climb was extremely tough. Temperatures were harsh, hitting 40 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the mountain and minus 5 degrees Celsius at the summit.

3SG (NS) Ashik suffered three hairline fractures on his right arm from a fall, and his eyes were inflamed from dusty volcanic soil. "In the end, my injuries will heal. But what remains from my journey is a sense of fulfilment, a symbol of hope for the children at CCF," he said.

The duo, who were schoolmates in junior college, started planning for the climb right after completing their trek in Nepal's Annapurna Circuit last year.

They chose Mount Damavand because one of the world's greatest mountaineers, Reinhold Messner, failed in his attempt to summit it in 1970. This was the man who had reached the top of Mount Everest without oxygen. The duo couldn t resist trying to do one better than him.

At about 4,200m into their climb, the pair had a scare. They were expecting to find a running trail of water from melted snow, but didn t. With only four litres of drinking water left, they were unlikely to last for another two days. "To find water, we had to trek to the other side of the mountain, but that would drain (too much) energy," recalled 2SG (NS) Ashok, a business studies graduate.

Pushing on

Their soldiering instinct kicked in. Weighing their options, they took a calculated risk to push for the summit a day earlier. In just six hours, they climbed 1,400m to reach the peak.

3SG (NS) Ashik, a section commander in Headquarters Guards, said that the Army had trained him to "make decisions on the ground".

Like soldiers who train under conditions similar to the ones in their area of operations, the pair had gone for a two-week acclimatisation and training climb in India before arriving in Iran.

They took 36 hours to complete what would usually take an average mountaineer about three to five days. It was one of the fastest timings for foreigners, according to the Iran Mountaineering Federation.

2SG (NS) Ashok, a platoon sergeant in 901st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, said the tough training they had gone through during National Service gave them the belief that they could complete the climb.

He cited the example of the Combat Skills Badge (CSB) course which includes a 32km trek in full combat gear, terrain navigation, and river crossing. "The training taught us vital life skills and endurance. If not for the Army, we would never have thought of challenging the mountain in the first place."

Searching for new peaks

Their willingness to tackle uphill challenges for charity has won them praise. Donations came in from the public, companies and foundations. Their fund-raising trek in Nepal last year raised over $50,000 for the Society for the Physically Disabled.

For their efforts, they received the Hillview Civilians Sports Club's Silent Heroes award (Inspiring Youth) from Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Education, last August. The annual award honours Singaporeans who are quietly making a difference in society.

For their next challenge, they have set their eyes on Papua New Guinea's Mount Giluwe. Said 2SG (NS) Ashok: "This mountain is quite special. The greatest climber on earth, Messner, has climbed it, and it's the highest volcano in the Australian continent. "Since we have conquered Asia s highest, why not this?"