“Everest is a shit show,” said Aaron Huey, a National Geographic photographer who is currently documenting the culture of Sherpa guides. If you haven’t kept up on your local Nepal News, the last three spring seasons on Everest have seen controversies spiral into disasters. Thus turning the proverbial “shit show,” into a literal one, and Saucony wanted to up the ante.

This past November, one of Saucony Creek Brewing’s beloved characters, Werley, filled his survival pack with essentials, and made the trek from Kutztown Pennsylvania to the snow capped slopes of Nepal. The list of “can’t-live-withouts” while scaling Everest included Saucony’s own Roxie’s Golden Bananas and, did we mention, a cheesesteak?

In an effort to “keep it local” all around the globe, Werley packed Cheesesteaks from a local legend eatery called Esterly’s in Bowers, PA. Where, in fact, the entire idea for this global pursuit was born.

While playing poker one night with a number of Esterly goers, it was noted that the cheesesteak hub had a map showing 48 of the 50 states the sandwiches had visited. So naturally, Werley thought he could take it a step further, and bring them where no sandwich dare venture before.

Kilimanjaro.

“I had already brought a cheesesteak to Kilimanjaro, so I wanted to bring a Cheesesteak to Mt. Everest,” said Werley. Don’t we all?

After the first successful attempt at cheesesteak glory, the next peak on the map was Everest, and Saucony did not want to be left out. The mission commenced with a group of 5, including Joe, the owner of ATV Bakery in Reading, PA, who supplies rolls for the aforementioned Esterly cheesesteaks.

Starting off in Kathmandu, Werley and the crew continued on to Lukla, before ending up at the Mount Everest Base Camp. The next 14 days would be filled with peril, snow, cheesesteaks and beer, as the team climbed to the highest point without oxygen, over 18,000 feet. Towards the top, the team settled down to relish in their success, and enjoy a celebratory 2-week-old cheesesteak, and some of Roxie’s Golden Bananas.

“They taste just as good at 18,000 feet,” said Werley.

The team ended their excursion in a hotel bazaar in a small city in Nepal. Not to be outdone, Saucony added their own brew to the hotel’s array of Everest style beers. After all, hadn’t we earned the right?

In the end, here’s to the team that brought Saucony closer to Beer-Glory. Cheers!