When he was in his fifties back in the early 1990s, Werner Berger decided he wanted to do something completely different from what he’d done so far in life — he wanted to climb a mountain. Not just any mountain — Mount Everest, the tallest in the world.

At first, he said, his family chuckled at the thought. Two years later, though, one of his sons approached him about trekking to Everest Base Camp. Werner agreed, completed the excursion and the fuse was lit. Since then, over 30 years ago, Werner has gone on to not only return to Everest to summit it, but he also hiked the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on all seven continents.

Not content to stop there, he also completed a trek of New Guinea’s Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest mountain on an island in the world and the final climb to complete what is known as the Messner 7. With this accomplishment, Werner etched his name in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person to scale the Seven Summits.

Such Great Heights

Now, at 86 years old, Werner is set to return to where it all began and climb to Everest Base Camp for the sixth time and his first trip there since 2016. On this trip, Werner will be leading a team of 15. On his previous trips, he’s led larger groups, but one thing has stayed the same — he’s maintained a perfect record for getting his group to Base Camp.

“Athletes have the highest dropout rates because they push harder and burn out. The normal dropout rate is 24-44%. Getting to Base Camp is all about pre-climb conditioning, acclimatization procedures and making sure people slow down and breathe right. You don’t just go step, step, step, step. You go step, breathe, step.”

For this trek, Werner and his team will take 10 days to reach Base Camp, with another three to return. “The difference in time has to do with acclimatization on the way back down,” he said. Their starting altitude in Lukla, Nepal, is 9,383 feet (2,860 meters), and they will hike up to Base Camp, which sits at 17,598 ft. (5,364 m.). They will rely on porters to haul some of their gear, carry their own packs (which weigh around 15 lb.) and will not use oxygen assistance. Werner said that he has used oxygen on Everest — when he summited the peak — but they did not use it until they hit 20,000 ft.

Over the course of their journey, they will lose two days to acclimatization. Basically, they will spend time hiking up, adjusting to the new elevation, then returning to sleep lower.

“That’s what pushes the body to adjust,” Werner said.

Leading up to the trek, Werner balances his training regimen so that he can successfully complete it. Last year, he said, he had a double knee replacement, so his current training looks different than it has in years past, having to manage not overdoing it while also doing the real work of getting ready to hike to 17,598 ft.

The possible pain points of training, though, are far overshadowed by what he’s looking forward to most on his upcoming trip.

“The absolute joy of helping the people that are with me have this otherworldly experience; that’s the only way I can describe it,” he said.

“That’s really what hooked me, being in this magnificent silence that we’re not used to being in, and as a result of that feeling a part of everything and appreciating everything, whether it’s a cloud or the sun or a rain drop, even if rain is rare on spring treks.”

The second part, and one he’s had the opportunity to experience multiple times, is “simply being back in that environment because it’s so easy to feel connected to everything and to be in such awe of the splendor and grandeur of this planet.”

The Power of Partner.Co

Naturally, Werner says, Partner.Co supplements are a huge part of his wellness regimen both while training and while on the trek.

“Originally, I said I don’t need supplements because I eat right. My friend said to me, ‘Obviously you don’t know much about nutrition.’” The changes Werner felt, he said, were amazing.

“I loved the energy, the vitality, and the endurance I was getting from the supplements.”

Werner added that it was his belief that the supplements he was taking contributed to alleviating the migraines he was experiencing. After all his positive experiences, it was clear to Werner that he would not be without Partner.Co products ever again.

“I’ve had such good experiences over the years [with Partner.Co supplements], so why would I change?”

But does he have a favorite that helps him train?

“Three words: All of them.”

“There is no favorite because from my experience from having taken everything available, that is what works. They work together. We can’t just survive on antioxidants, we can’t just survive on vitamins, we can’t just survive on minerals. We need them all, so I take them all, and that’s what makes the difference.”

We’re thankful Werner has found a true partnership with us and our products and will be bringing them along on this amazing journey he’s about to set out on. Stay tuned to learn more about Werner’s trip after he gets back, plus exclusive content taken by Werner himself from the top of the world!

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