Johann Peries

Johann Peries, also spelt as Johann Pieris, is a Sri Lankan adventurer, mountaineer, and hair stylist. He formed a collaboration with Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala for several expeditions of Mount Everest.[1] In April 2016, the two became the first Sri Lankans to attempt to summit Everest.[2] His attempt was unsuccessful, but Kuru-Utumpala managed to reach the summit.[3] On 22 May 2018, climbing with his own support team, he became the first Sri Lankan man to summit Everest.[4][5]

Johann Peries
Personal information
Birth nameJohann Peries
Main disciplinehair stylist, mountaineer
NationalitySri Lankan
Career
Notable ascentsFirst Sri Lankan man and second Sri Lankan to Summit Mount Everest
Famous partnershipsJayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

Career

Johann Peries pursued his early career as an artist and a singer, became a hair stylist in 1993, and soon became one of the most sought after in the country. He owns and runs three salons, two of which are in Colombo and the other in London.[6]

As a youth, Peries developed an interest in rock climbing and, together with his father, climbed the Knuckles Mountain Range on several occasions. His first exploration outside Sri Lanka was on the Thai-Burmese border in 2005. He also reached the Everest Base Camp in 2010.[7] He teamed up with Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala in 2011 and has since worked together with her on several successful expeditions, including the summits of Adam's Peak and Island Peak in 2012, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2014, and the Mount Everest expedition of 2016. Peries has also climbed Mount Kalapattar in Nepal and Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.[8]

Everest expeditions

First attempt

Peries, along with Kuru-Utumpala, prepared for their Everest attempt from 2014 and were involved in various training activities such as swimming and climbing.[8] In April 2016, the duo announced their ambition to climb Mount Everest and jointly formed the Sri Lankan Everest Expedition campaign, 2016.[9] The expedition, which cost around US$136,000 was supported by the mountaineering company International Mountain Guides, which provided them with guide support, Sherpa support, logistical support, meals, and accommodation during their expedition. Kuru-Utumpala and Peries were accompanied by Nepalese Sherpas Ang Karma (Kuru-Utumpala) and Ang Pasang (Peries).[10][11][12] Their expedition marked the first attempt by Sri Lankan natives to summit the peak.[2]

Peries was not able to complete the climb as his oxygen tank failed 400 m (1,300 ft) before he reached the summit, but his partner Kuru-Utumpala did manage to reach the summit of Mount Everest successfully at 5:03 AM on 21 May 2016.[13] This gave her the distinction of becoming the first Sri Lankan person to summit Mount Everest.[14] Peries attained a height of 8,400 m (27,600 ft), which is beyond Camp IV (the final camp on the southern ascent route, on the South Col).[14][15][9]

Second attempt

Peries made a second attempt to summit Mount Everest, this time without collaborating with Kuru-Utumpala. He started his journey on 4 April 2018, embarking on a 48-day expedition.[16][3] He also initiated a campaign called "Climb Everest with Johann" through an online campaign, and several volunteers joined in the efforts to sponsor the costs of his expedition.[17] The campaign managed to collect US$60,000 from the volunteers and was spent on Peries' second attempt.[18]

Peries reached the summit of Mount Everest on 22 May 2018 at around 5:55 AM, becoming only the second Sri Lankan to summit the peak.[2] He was supported by a team of 13 members, including 8 Nepalese Sherpas, 2 Americans, 1 South African, and 1 Canadian.[7]

References
  1. "එවරස්ට් ගිය ජයන්ති යලි කත්මණ්ඩු අගනුවරට". Hiru News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. LBO (22 May 2018). "Johann Peries successfully summits Mount Everest". Lanka Business Online. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. "Johann Peiris' sheer determination leads to successful Everest expedition". Daily FT. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. "Johann Peries becomes second Sri Lankan to summit Mount Everest". Daily FT. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. "Johann Peries successfully summit Mt. Everest". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  6. "Sri Lanka's Johann Peries becomes second Sri Lankan to summit Everest". Colombo Gazette. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. "Johann Peries scales summit of Mt. Everest". Global Sri Lankan. 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. LBO (4 March 2016). "Sri Lanka's first attempt to conquer Everest". Lanka Business Online. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. Hewamanna, Demi. "Summit of achievement". Daily News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  10. Farhan Uvais (22 May 2016). "Jayanthi Kuru Utumpala Creates History By Successfully Summiting Mount Everest". dailynews.lk. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  11. "Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala first Sri Lankan to reach summit of Mount Everest". Colombo Gazette. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  12. "Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala first Sri Lankan to summit Everest". island.lk. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  13. ElCordillerano. "Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, desafiando los estereotipos de género". El Cordillerano (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. "Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala Becomes First Sri Lankan Woman To Summit Everest". Sunday Times Sri Lanka. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  15. "First Sri Lankan to summit Mount Everest". dailynews.lk. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  16. "Sri Lanka's superman wants to be a beacon". Sunday Observer. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. "Johann Peries becomes the 1st Sri Lankan man to conquer Mount Everest". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  18. "Sri Lankan Johann Peries close to reaching summit of Mount Everest". Colombo Gazette. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
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