PROJECT OM— a Himalayan adventure with a deeper purpose
Over mighty rivers, through bamboo jungles, to the top of glaciers soaring thousands of meters into the sky—Project OM is a film that follows mountaineers Oskar Normelli and Måns Sjögren as they journey deep into the Himalayas. During this expedition, they skied over 6,000 meters above sea level and scaled the legendary Ama Dablam. But these adventures were not their end goal.
The goal of the expedition was to raise funds through charity for Kanata Basic School, an elementary school in the Sherpa village of Patle, where many of their local friends come from, including their mentor and eight-time Everest summiteer Pemba Patle Sherpa.
Here, we explore the depths of this experience behind the scenes with Oskar Normelli and Måns Sjögren. They share the inspirations behind their travels, the rigorous preparations they undertook, and some of their most memorable moments in the mountains.
Why did you travel to Nepal?
Oskar: “We went to Nepal because we both met there in the spring of 2022. That’s where all the ideas came together, along with our friend Pemba.”
Måns: “Since my first visit in 2019, I’ve felt an incredible pull toward Nepal—the people, the religion, and above all, the mountains. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and being able to ski there was a dream come true. Personally, I found it incredibly exciting!”
How does one prepare for something like this?
Oskar: “It might sound a bit extreme, but I always mentally prepare myself for it to be the toughest and most challenging thing I’ve ever done. Physically, it’s about hard training and carrying heavy loads. It doesn’t hurt to gain a few extra kilos beforehand since you lose a lot of weight during the expedition.”
Måns: “Training, training, and more training! But beyond physical fitness, mental preparation is just as important. I’m lucky to work as a guide, which provides a lot of "free" training. This summer, I completed five trips to the summit of Kebnekaise and two to the top of Kilimanjaro, which really got me in top shape for the adventure.”
What was your single best memory from this experience?
Oskar: “For me, it was reaching the summit of Ama and hugging all our friends. For all of us except one, it was our first ascent.”
Måns: “Probably the moment we strapped on our backpacks on the first day of trekking and set off. That’s when it really sank in, what an incredible adventure we had ahead of us. It was almost overwhelming, but above all, it made us incredibly excited!”
What does the next chapter of this project look like?
Oskar: “Next, we plan to ski at higher altitudes as early as September 2025. Our goal is to ski above 7,000 meters.”
Måns: “Our ultimate goal is to ski at over 8,000 meters, and we’re steadily working toward that through various milestones. In the fall of 2025, we’ll return to Nepal to attempt a ski ascent of the 7,126-meter-high Himlung Himal.”
