Willy Benegas has conquered Everest five times. The Argentine has also scaled the big walls of Yosemite, was the quickest ever on Aconcagua (22,831 ft)—the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere—and topped Nameless Tower and Trango Tower across the LoC. Today, the 37-year-old landed here from Salt Lake city, where he lives, with a group of three American climbers—Patrick Kenny, Cedar Wright and Renan Ozturk—and world famous adventure photographer Ace Kvale. And this time, he’s here to reach out to quake-hit people in remote Himalayan villages. Called ‘Relief Expedition’, this initiative has been organised by Kashmir Earthquake Relief (KER)—a charity set up by Kashmiri expatriates— and Global Giving, with help from The North Face, a US-based adventure equipment and apparel chain. ‘‘The people in Himalayas have always been helpful to us,’’ says Benegas. ‘‘We are here to give back something. A handshake, a little gesture of support for these people.’’ Having been on 14 expeditions in the Himalayas since he started his mountaineering career in 1987, Benegas says, ‘‘This is for the first time we are here not to climb but to help people in this hour of crisis. These people have always extended their hospitality to us. We want to give back in whatever little way we can.’’ Relief Expedition has already identified some remote villages high up in Tangdhar. ‘‘We are carrying 12 tonnes of clothing, tents and sleeping bags donated by people across the US. We also carried out a door-to-door campaign to collect these donations,’’ says Usman Abdul Raheem of KER, who is part of the relief team.
