The sky is the limit.
This is just one life lesson that Larry Bota taught his son before dying suddenly from a massive heart attack at the age of 50 — just 10 days before his son’s 13th birthday.
And on Thursday, Phil Bota, now 22, will be in Nepal looking up at the magnitude and power of the mountain he intends to scale to prove his father right.
The Red Deer carpenter is confident that he and his small team will summit Mount Everest sometime between May 21 and 23. They will climb up the north ridge.
Bota has dreamed of climbing the world’s tallest peak since he was in junior high school and has been actively pursuing this trip for two years.
He always planned to fulfil this goal in honour of his father, the man who instilled in him a love for mountains during family hiking and skiing trips in the Rockies.
“He always inspired me, and still does, and he always pushed me to be my best,” he said.
“I know that if he were still here today, he would be behind me 100 per cent, and I know that he is still with me. When we are on that mountain, he’s going to be looking after us.”
Bota and his teammates — fellow Red Deerian Steve Barahona and experienced Montreal mountaineer Manuel Pizarro — will attempt to climb to the point that stands above all others in the expansive Himalayan range and around the world to benefit the Heart and Stroke Foundation. They hope to raise $50,000.
Bota has already raised about $25,000 for the charity.
The men are confident they are physically prepared to reach the top that towers 8,850 metres above sea level.
Bota and Barahona — who are both attempting Everest for the first time — have been training daily at One to 1 Fitness for eight months.
Their grueling regime includes circuits, cardio at steep inclines, hikes in the Banff and Canmore area, ice climbing and rescue training.
They’ve trained in a sleep- and food-deprived state to help prepare for their summit attempt, which Barahona says can take up to 42 hours with very little rest or nourishment.
Their workout apparel has included 22-kg (50-pound) vests to help them build strength to shoulder the similarly weighted load they’ll haul up the mountainside.
And they have trained while wearing oxygen masks that restrict airflow in an attempt to get use to inhaling thin air.
They’ve done all they can to simulate the challenges waiting for them on Everest.
Acclimatizing to the high altitude, however, is one thing they’ll have to wait to be ready for, and the trio will spend at least a week at the base camp doing so.
They will then spend the next three weeks gradually climbing back and forth between the different camps so their bodies can further acclimatize before they push for the summit.
Bota said the three men, who have known each other for only a few years, are entrusting their lives to one another as Everest presents plenty of risks. Lack of oxygen, exhaustion, extreme cold, avalanches and massive chunks of falling ice are just a few.
But he knows every man on that mountain — the two friends he quickly bonded with and called brothers as well as three Sherpas — will do everything in their power to make sure all make it home safe.
Bota and Barahona became friends after trading training tips at the Collicutt Centre while Barahona befriended Pizarro while the two volunteered in Haiti following the devastating earthquake. The thrill seekers share the same enthusiasm for sky diving.
Despite the risks, each man is optimistic that they’ll succeed at reaching their personal goals.
For Bota, whose only other high-altitude climb was summiting the nearly 6,200-metre Mount McKinely in Alaska last year, scaling the overwhelming stature of Everest will be a motivating memory he’ll always cherish.
“It is the biggest mountain in the world. To be able to accomplish that and to even be there and witness how big it is and I imagine how beautiful it really is, that’s inspiring to me in itself,” he said.
He plans to tackle the tallest peaks on each of the continents over his lifetime.
For Barahona, the ultimate adventure and chance to support a friend was just too great an opportunity to pass on.
“I don’t have that big drive to climb all the summits in the world, I really don’t,” he said. “It’s just for fun for me. It’s just great to go with a friend and try to fulfil his dream.”
The active 28-year-old Red Deer fire-medic often competes in firefighter competitions. He climbed the nearly 5,900-metre Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania two years ago but admitted Everest never crossed his mind until recently.
And Pizarro, who will serve as team leader, is heading out on a historic ascent.
If he reaches Everest’s crest, he’ll become the first Canadian to do so three times.
The experienced climber — who is just two mountains shy of climbing the tallest peak on each of the seven continents — summited Everest in 2007 and 2009.
“My goal is to lead these two fine individuals with honesty, compassion and force,” Pizarro said in an email.
“For me, the goal is for all three us to come home uninjured, emotionally or physically. If the summit occurs along the way, well that is just the cherry on the cheesecake. Mother Nature does have a say in making the summit.”
He is looking forward to returning to the mountain he affectionately calls Chomolungma, its Tibetan name, which means mother goddess of the Earth.
Pizarro said the summit is a spiritual place, but reaching the top is only half the battle.
“When you stand on top of Mount Everest, you have paid your fee in tears, sweat and pain. So once you get there, you feel true accomplishment in your soul,” he said.
“The summit is only half way, so you’ve got a lot of work to get to safety. In 20 minutes, you live a wide range of emotions, from awe to fear and back to resolve and duty. Many great climbers always quote: ‘Safety first, fun second, the summit is optional.’ ”
The group will leave on their quest this weekend and will arrive in Nepal on Thursday.
They expect to be home sometime in early June and plan to host a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation when they return.
In addition to their training, the men have been working to secure sponsorship to cover the expedition that will cost around $30,000 each.
The trio will update their website, www.climbforheartandstroke.com, during their trek. The website also includes a page where donations can be made.
ptrotter@www.reddeeradvocate.com