I spent 20 wonderful days on the Annapurna Circuit through trekking from village to village through mist-covered valleys, remote villages and sacred monasteries in the Nepalese Himalayas in 2000. That experience has given me a deep appreciation of Nepal, the Sherpas and the climbers who attempt the greatest mountain of them all - Everest.Since then, I have always been fascinated with stories of Everest’s often deadly history. So I was riveted last May when following the literal ups and downs of my podcast guest today as he attempted to climb Everest during the peak of the pandemic. Damian Browne hails from Galway and is a former professional rugby player who has played for Leinster, Northampton, Brive and Oyonnax. Damian’s passion for travel and adventure has led him to visit more than 50 countries on 6 continents.Damien is an adventurer in the truest sense of the word using the world’s most extreme environments to test his physical and mental capabilities. Damien has covered more ground than many of the great explorers of the early 20th century including spending 63-days rowing solo across the Atlantic. An epic trip he previously spoke to me about on my very first podcast in 2020Since he first climbed Elbrus (the highest mountain in Europe) in Russia in 2018 he has been obsessed with successfully climbing Everest. His original trip was called off in 2020 when the pandemic took hold and he only found out he could go to Nepal in April last year a few days after his Australian partner gave birth to their first child in Brisbane.Epic is a word often used when talking about adventures but this attempt on Everest was truly epic. Damian’s tale is all about that famous mountain, what it is like working with Sherpas, being at basecamp, the Khumbu Icefall and much more. If you haven’t already I'd ask you to give me a follow on whichever platform you listen to your podcasts and you will be the first to get a new episode every Tuesday.Fergal O’Keeffe is the host of Ireland’s No.1 Travel Podcast Travel Tales with Fergal which is now listened to in 90 countries. The podcast aims to share soul-lifting travel memoirs about daydream worthy destinations. Follow Damian and Fergus' attempt to row the Atlantic this summer https://www.facebook.com/projectempower2022/To find out who is on every Tuesday please follow me onWebsite www.https://www.traveltaleswithfergal.ieInstagram @traveltaleswithfergalFacebook @traveltaleswithfergalTwitter @FergalTravelYouTube @traveltaleswithfergal Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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