What was supposed to be a farewell climb turned into the ultimate mountain-climbing adventure for Filipino mountaineer Jeno Panganiban.
People often talk about conquering their personal Mount Everest. In the case of Jeno Panganiban, his personal Mount Everest was literally the Mount Everest. And boy, did he conquer it.
Last May, Panganiban became the youngest Filipino mountain climber to scale the tallest mountain the world, all 8,848 meters of it, and in the process fulfilled a promise he made to himself years ago.
Jeno’s passion for climbing began when he was a third-year computer science major at De La Salle University. He had friends who were climbers, and his interest was piqued every time they would show him photos of their climbs.
“I was envious, but more curious, sa ginagawa nila at that time, because they had so many interesting pictures about nature, the mountains. So na-curious ako na, ‘Ano bang meron diyan? Baka puede kong subukan.’
“I worked as a software engineer for six years. Umabot na sa point na nahihiya na ako sa boss ko kasi lahat ng vacation leave ko, lahat ng sick leave ko, nag le-leave without pay ako para lang makapag-climb. So iyon talaga ang passion ko.”
Jeno eventually went on to scale just about every mountain there was to climb in the Philippines, but it had come with a heavy price. “Naapektuhan na iyong career ko. Naisip ko, bakit hindi ako magkaroon ng farewell climb, ng graduation climb? Baka puede akong pumunta sa Himalayas. Iyon na ang last climb ko.”
Jeno says going to Everest Base Camp is in the bucket list for Filipino mountaineers, so that’s where he conducted his “farewell climb.” There he saw the beauty of the Himalayan Mountain Range, and what was supposed to be a farewell climb quickly morphed into a new goal: climbing the greatest peak of all, Mount Everest.
“Totoo iyong sinasabi nilang tawag ng bundok,” Jeno said.
Of course, a climb of this scale is like no other. To borrow a line from a popular movie that also includes climbing a dangerous mountain, one does not simply walk into (or up) Everest. It took Jeno three years and over five trips to Nepal and the Everest Base Camp and some practice climbs on nearby peaks before he felt he was ready. This included scaling Mount Manaslu (elevation 8,100m) in Nepal, one of the world’s so-called “14 peaks” or mountains that are 8,000 meters or more above sea level, last year.
Training for an Everest climb is brutal and includes exposure to high altitude, building mental toughness against the elements, and mastery of the technical skills needed.
“Hindi siya basta walk. We are exposed to the routes climbing up and coming down using a rope and using mountaineering boots and spikes. Nagte-training ako pero hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko unless akyatin ko talaga.”
When Jeno felt he was finally ready, he decided to go for it. With the support of Century Tuna, earlier this year he embarked on the most challenging climb of his life.
Birthday in the Himalayas
Do you remember what you were doing on your 30th birthday? Whatever it was, it’s safe to say it pales in comparison to what Jeno Panganiban was doing when his clock struck 30.
Panganiban turned 30 last April 24 at the Everest Base Camp where he and fellow Filipino climber Miguel Mapalad were preparing for their ascent on Everest.
“Umalis ako sa Pilipinas ng 29, then nag-birthday ako sa base camp,” Panganiban said, adding that this wasn’t planned. “Hindi siya planado kasi yun talaga yung climbing season.”
Climbing season for Everest falls in May, and no other month.
“Eto yung spring sa Nepal,” Jeno says. “And during spring, this is the friendliest season of the year in that region. Any other month, climbing Mount Everest would be worse. So before May, we should accomplish and finish our training.”
Finally on May 13, Panganiban and Mapalad began their summit attempt. Ahead of them was a five-day trek to Camps 3 and 4 that was filled with danger at every turn and 80-kilometer winds as they neared the summit.
Two days into their attempt, there was a mixture of good news and bad news. The good news was another Filipino climber who had started ahead of them, Rhisael “Ric” Rabe, had reached the summit. The bad news was, a fourth one, Philip “PJ” Santiago, had died while resting at Camp 4.
And as if the climbing gods decided to give him another challenge, Jeno’s Sherpa guide fainted during the climb, so he had to continue on his own.
“Mas nag-kick in dito yung tiwala sa sarili,” Jeno said. “Yung skills and yung training ko throughout the years. Kahit wala akong guide, kaya ko pa din ang sarili. Ang guide talaga sobrang nakakatulong sa summit and pag bababa.”
The crucial moment of the climb was negotiating the Khumbu Icefall atop the Khumbu Glacier, an area that has claimed numerous lives. “Dito kami pinaka-exposed sa crevasse, sa mga matataas na ice tower and anytime puedeng mag-collapse, puedeng magkaroon ng avalanche so we were really very careful sa area.”
Jeno and Miguel left Camp 3 in the early morning of May 17, targeting to reach Camp 4 in the evening before the final push to the summit in the early hours of May 18. Jeno couldn’t bring too many provisions because his load would have been too heavy.
“Nagpakulo lang ako ng isang litrong snow. Iyon na ang baon ko papuntang Camp 4. Pero I made sure dala ko yung Century Tuna sa backpack ko,” he said with a smile.
They reached Camp 4 around 1:00 p.m. of May 17, and around five or so hours later began their final push towards the top of the world.
‘An incomparable moment’
On May 18, 2025 at around 7:00 in the morning, Jeno Panganiban and Miguel Mapalad officially became eighth and ninth Filipinos to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The view that greeted them made everything Jeno had gone through leading up to this moment totally worth it.
“It’s a peak na wala ka nang makikita na mas mataas sa kanya,” he said. “Kita mo na yung bilog ng mundo, you see the horizon, you see the best sunrise ever na hindi mo makikita sa kahit anong lugar sa buong mundo. It’s an incomparable moment.”
Incomparable as it was, they had only around 10 minutes to savor it before they began their descent, which is filled with its own challenges and in many ways is more dangerous than the ascent.
“Given yan. Sipon, ubo, hypothermia, kapababayaan, and yung fatigue na rin, bugbog ng katawan. Pagbababa dito, mas malaki yung chance na bawian ka ng buhay. Pero, hindi kasi ako puede magpatinag basta-basta. Hindi puedeng pahinahan ng loob. So, coming down, kailangan mo talagang ingatan.”
Jeno said he was hit by snow blindness on the descent, something he said he wished he had prepared for.
“Sana nalaman ko na mas prone pala ako sa snow blindness,” he said. “Kasi after summiting, na-expose yung mata ko sa matinding hangin at snow. Medyo nahirapan ako bumaba noong mga panahon na yan. At puti lang yung naikita ko sa paligid ko. Kasi, puro snow.
“At ang naggagabay na lang sa akin is yung kulay orange na rope. So, sana naagapan ko yan and had a more pleasant descent. Naging challenging yung moment din for me.”
Jeno Panganiban is now in the record books as the youngest Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Up next for him, hopefully within the next several months, is an ascent on K2, at 8,611m the second-highest peak in the world.
But for now, Jeno will rest and recover and spend time with his loved ones. He hopes more Filipino climbers will follow his lead and take on the challenge, and for those thinking about it, he has this advice:
“Magbaon ng mahaba-mahabang pasensya because it’s a long journey at hindi lang basta physically strong kailangan kayo. You have to be financially prepared, mentally prepared and physically prepared for this moment. Hindi lang basta akyat.
“Marami-maraming kailangan na pagdaanan. Maraming pagsasanay para makuha mo yung confidence mo na gusto mo na akyatin yung Mount Everest. Masayang-masaya ako na maraming naging proud na Filipino mountaineers. Maraming naging proud na Filipino dahil sa achievement na ito.
“So, as a Filipino mountaineer, just continue climbing.”
Images from COMCO Mundo