Since I was a child I have dreamed of living great adventures. Explore castles, mountains, forests, deserts and caves, among others. One of the places that has always lived in my imagination was the Himalayan Mountains, especially Mount Everest. But I was far from imagining that one day I would step onto the summit of the highest mountain on the planet.

After the 2015 earthquake, I began spending long periods in Nepal to monitor the implementation of projects on the ground, including the reconstruction of several villages and the attribution of scholarships. It was during these stays that I began to visit the Himalayas more regularly. Ultimately, it was the development of humanitarian actions that led me to pursue the passion of mountain climbing.

The first time I laid my eyes on the slopes of Mount Everest I thought to myself that it would be impossible to climb that mountain. I was not even close of being a man or a climber capable of doing that. However, I decided I could give it a try. Only then would I be sure that it was really impossible. For five years, I trained hard and acquired as much skills as possible with the intention of one day, having the courage to embark on a journey to the top of the world.

In 2022, I felt prepared and decided to move forward. But not in the way current commercial expeditions operate. I was afraid of being caught up in the crowds on Everest, and did not intend to climb as part of a team of unknown climbers. So, I hired a small agency, 14 Summits, and went to the mountain accompanied only by one guide, my friend Mingma Sherpa.

After forty days of expedition, with an empty stomach and having been awake for eighty-six hours, I fulfilled a childhood dream and stepped onto the summit of Mount Everest on the morning of May 9, 2022. I became the sixth Portuguese to achieve this feat and I was the first foreigner of the season to reach the top. An unparalleled honor among hundreds of climbers who were on the mountain.

The journey to the summit was a dream within a dream, full of inherent dangers and risks. Follow in the footsteps of the great explorers of the past, through the Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm, Lhotse Face, South Col and the Hillary Step. Iconic sections that I've always wanted to see with my own eyes. I walked amongst frozen corpses, faced cyclonic winds, vertical walls of ice and temperatures below minus forty degrees. It was a great thrill when we finally reached the summit at 8.848 meters, the ceiling of the world.

With this journey, I intended to raise 8.848€, the height of the mountain in euros, to fund scholarships for 25 Nepalese children as part of the project Dreams of Kathmandu. The objective was achieved and even exceeded. In the end, it was still possible to pay some school expenses for two more children.

Along the way, I challenged my community of family and friends with the following question: What is your Everest? What is your biggest dream, fear or challenge? With work, passion and dedication, nothing is impossible. The story of my ascent of Mount Everest is portrayed in the book “Last Call to Everest”, which will be released in 2025.