Local Coach and Restaurant Owner Prepares to Scale Everest

Over the years, Neil Levine has navigated some difficult courses as head coach of the cross-country team. He has also helped put together the menu that features several great courses of appetizers, dinners and desserts as a part owner of

While those two tasks can be quite challenging at times, Levine’s most challenging course awaits.

On April 9, Levine will travel to Nepal where he and several other acquaintances will attempt to climb up Mount Everest.

“We’ll have a group of people with us, some of whom I’ve already met and some I haven’t,” Levine noted about the upcoming trip. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Since August, the OA cross country coach and Maguire's owner has been training for the upcoming adventure. His main focus is improving his flexibility and core strength. He has been doing most of his hiking over Blue Hills.

There is no doubt, however, that the mighty mountain will present more difficult challenges.

“There’s nothing you can to do train for altitude,” Levine noted. “The only thing you can really focus on is core strengthening and flexibility. I’ve been doing a lot of hiking over at Blue Hills everyday carrying a 60-pound backpack to gear up for the weight I’ll be carrying up Everest. I’ve also been running three or four miles a day and I’ve also been doing a lot of yoga.”

This isn’t the first time Levine has tried to climb a mountain. Back in August of this year, he and several others went to the Rocky Mountains to climb Mount Elbert in Colorado, which has a peak at 14,440 feet – the second highest in the Continental U.S. right behind Mount Whitney in California, which peaks at 14,505 feet.

For Levine, the test was to see how the body responds to the thin air.

“It was definitely a good way to see how the body responds to the high altitude,” he said. “You could definitely feel it making your way up the mountain. But all in all it was a good test.”

Levine and company won’t be climbing to the top of Mount Everest during the trip, however. Before the trip, they will spend a couple of days in Nepal to get some rest and go over some final preparations for the climb.

When they arrive in Mount Everest, they will fly into the airstrip of Lukla, which a popular place for climbers to arrive and begin the expedition up Mount Everest. From there, the team will make their way up towards the North Base camp at over 18,000 feet, as the team heads to the end of the trip in Kala Patar, who’s peak is over 19,000 feet.

Levine hasn’t gotten much advice from others about the trip. However, he has been reading up in prepping for the trip that begins in April.

“Most of the people haven’t done this before so there’s not too much advice I can get from them,” Levine stated. “I have been doing some reading about this and carrying all the equipment will be daunting.”

When the journey is completed, Levine will have tackled another course that very few have attempted.