2,200 kilometres. 113 days. Everest from the Indian Ocean, and back again.
Most people attempting Everest begin somewhere near the Himalayas, but Madalin “Cris” Cristea started at the Indian Ocean. On March 4, 2026, he left Digha in West Bengal with a challenging plan: walk every metre from sea level to the summit of Everest, and then turn around and walk all the way back again.
Cris had already completed sea-to-summit-to-sea expeditions on Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro, but Everest was another proposition entirely. Before he could even start climbing, there were roughly 1,100 kilometres of India and Nepal to cross. For 36 days he walked 35–45 kilometres a day, unsupported, before finally reaching the Himalaya.
“People assume it’s easy. It’s not.”
“It’s a funny thing with Everest, because so many people climb it these days, people assume it’s easy. It’s not.” Cris had already climbed dozens of 4,0000-6,000-metre peaks - many unguided and unsupported. But his assessment in hindsight was simple: “Everest was by far the hardest.”
Over roughly 40 days on the mountain, Cris and his team climbed higher and returned lower as their bodies acclimatised. The longer it went on, the more exhausted he became as the high altitude fatigued his body and muscles. His first journey through the Khumbu Icefall towards Camps 1 and 2 was particularly brutal. Between the steep terrain, crevasses, ladder crossings and altitude, Cris struggled to find his pace and became convinced he was falling behind.
“This created a negative internal dialogue and battle in my mind for the two days it took us to get to Camp 2.” Bad weather then wiped out the rest day the team had planned at Camp 2. They would be heading higher in the morning, so Cris got his phone out and started writing. He listed the reasons he was there, reminders about pacing and how he wanted to approach the climb, then read the list repeatedly before going to sleep.
The following morning brought high winds, cold and ice falling from climbers above, but nonetheless, Cris pushed on: “I’ll never forget arriving at Camp 3. That day gave me the confidence I needed for the summit push.”
Heron Glacier: Tried and tested on Everest
When Cris approached VALLON about the expedition, he was already wearing our Heron Glacier glasses for his challenges. They had accompanied him on previous high-altitude expeditions and had become a trusted part of his mountaineering kit.
“One piece of gear I could not have done without were my VALLON Heron Glacier glasses. I have had a pair since I first started doing high altitude mountaineering. I find them invaluable.”
Built for high-altitude mountaineering, the Heron Glacier combines Cat. 4 lenses, protective leather side shields and a lightweight 25g frame. “They’re super light, so I carried an extra pair with me every time we went to the high camps in case I lost my main pair.”
We also supplied Cris with Crossroads™ goggles, which he used when conditions deteriorated into a blizzard. But when the weather allowed, he returned to the glacier glasses he had already relied on for years. “Although I used my Crossroads™ goggles a few times in a blizzard, I actually summited Everest using my Heron Glaciers.”
“Cris, we are getting to the summit.”
The summit push took Cris from Base Camp at around 5,300 metres to Camp 4 at 7,950 metres over three days. By this point, weeks at altitude had taken their toll and he was deeply fatigued. Eventually, Cris and his Sherpa guide, Pasang, reached the South Summit at 8,749 metres. The wind was picking up, but ahead of them Cris could see the Hillary Step.
“I remember tearing up when I saw it.” Cris asked Pasang, “Are we on the South Summit right now?”
“Yes.”
“That means we have a chance at getting to the summit.”
Pasang looked at him.
“Cris, we are getting to the summit.”
After walking from the Indian Ocean and spending around 40 days climbing and acclimatising, Cris was standing on the summit of Everest at 8,849 metres.
He looked out towards India and across the Himalayas, taking in everything it had taken to get there. Then another thought occurred to him, “S***, I have to walk all the way back now.”
The long way home
Reaching the summit, Cris was just halfway through his challenge. He descended Everest and started retracing his route towards the Indian Ocean.
Coming from temperatures around -40°C on the mountain into the +40°C heat of Nepal’s lowlands was such a shock that, for several days, he started walking at 3am to get some distance behind him before the worst of it arrived.
On June 24, 113 days after setting out, Cris finally reached the Indian Ocean where his wife and parents-in-law were waiting. He had successfully walked more than 2,200 kilometres, accumulated 36,136 metres of elevation, and climbed the highest mountain on Earth along the way.
Asked what 113 days of walking, climbing, heat, cold, altitude and doubt had taught him, Cris summarised the expedition in one sentence: “How much you can accomplish if you simply refuse to quit.”
Everest was just one part of the puzzle for Cris, who has his eyes set on completing a sea-to-sea challenge for the Seven Summits. In 2028, Cris plans to take on Denali. The route could involve grizzly bears, glacier crossings, hauling sleds full of supplies, and rafting swollen rivers. “Denali from sea to sea!”
We’ll see you in Alaska.
