Ryan Farrugia has stood on the highest peaks in Africa and Europe in two weeks to set the record as the first Maltese national to complete two of the Seven Summits back-to-back.

The 35-year-old embarked upon the trip of a lifetime earlier this month to climb the mountains in Tanzania and Russia within a fortnight.

“It’s been great. It’s hard to define in words. Big mountains give you this huge sense of accomplishment and teach you in very raw ways how to celebrate basic things of life, like your own health, nature, relationship with other climbers and also the beauty up there which very few people get to see,” Farrugia said.

The full-time athlete and a team of five others: Alan Camilleri, Justin Schembri, Mikkel Lysaker, Romy Coleiro and Deborah Cassar, summitted the 5,895-metre Mount Kilimanjaro on August 6, spending a total of seven days on the mountain.

Within days, Farrugia and his second team headed to Russia. Daniel Mizzi, Edward Grima Baldacchino and Timea Szilagy summitted the 5,642-metre Mount Elbrus on August 20, after six days.

Farrugia said his athletic experiences aided him greatly with the physicality of his journey as they endured summit pushes of nine hours for Kilimanjaro and 12 hours for Elbrus: “I’m an athlete who specialises in mountain running, therefore my lifestyle as an athlete naturally prepares me both mentally and physically for the mountain hardships.”

He recalls weeks of endurance training that accumulated over 100 kilometres of running and walking.

Completing two major climbs back-to-back took its toll, with altitude issues leading to a climber collapsing upon the descent of Kilimanjaro, forcing Farrugia and his other team mates to carry the individual to lower elevations until the climber felt better:

“This was quite a daunting task especially after the summit push.”

Unfortunately, a similar issue was encountered on the Elbrus summit push as one of the team members also succumbed to the altitude, this time resulting in a call for rescue. 

“Mountain expeditions are never plain sailing. You need to face whatever the mountain throws at you and be ready for everything, even to divert plans when situations get perilous.”

Thankfully, the climbers recovered and no serious injuries occurred.

The climbs were celebrated by Farrugia and his Mount Elbrus team of mountaineers with a highly deserved night of “good food and Russian vodka”.

However, there is no more time for celebrations as Farrugia heads off to Morocco next week to climb Mount Toubkal, admitting he is “hungry for more”.

Farrugia organised and led the two separate groups, marking his debut in organising expeditions.

Since gaining more contacts on the ground, his plan is to continue to organise more expeditions for fellow mountaineers and aid them in their journey.

“I aim to bring mountains closer to the Maltese public so that others can enjoy the mountains as much as I do.”

The mountain enthusiast explained that his love for climbing, which is a very small niche in Malta, began 10 years ago after trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc.

“Under the shadows of Mount Blanc, I looked at that mountain in awe and deeply wished to climb it. Fast forward 10 years, with a number of peaks under my belt, mountaineering, and mountain running have become a lifestyle and an integral part of me.”

Many mountaineers see the completion of all summits as a dream achievement, and while Farrugia is no different, he admits it is a financially challenging dream:

“It is a big dream of every aspiring mountaineer. But it is quite far-fetched, knowing that expenses for some of the seven summits exceed €50,000 for an expedition, even reaching €70,000. All I can say is, my ambition is huge and where there is a will, there’s a way.”

Farrugia advises aspiring mountaineers to start with smaller peaks and avoid big altitudes.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. With experience comes confidence.”