S'porean couple & OBS instructors conquer Mount Everest together

A Singaporean couple has summited Mount Everest, joining an unofficial group of less than 30 Singaporeans who have reached the top of the world's highest mountain above sea level.

Ng Li Ying and her husband Mark Ng are lead training consultants and instructors at Outward Bound Singapore (OBS), according to CNA.

The pair met at OBS and got married in 2020.

Mark said: "Marrying her, I struck (lottery) because who else would go and climb these kinds of mountains and suffer with me?"

They have been climbing in Nepal since 2022 and attempted Everest in May 2026 during a sabbatical.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo congratulated the couple on Instagram.

"Quite probably Singapore’s first husband and wife team to complete the climb together, it is a doubly remarkable achievement."

Low oxygen levels

The couple had previously conquered other peaks in the Himalayas, including Mera, Ama Dablam, Manaslu and Himlung Himal.

Before leaving for Nepal, OBS linked the couple with Kumaran Rasappan, a Singapore orthopaedic surgeon who summited Everest in 2012 and provided back-up resources.

The couple also got their wills in order, reported CNA.

The pair made their ascent and navigated the Khumbu Icefall, safely making it to Camp 2, a staging camp for climbers attempting the South Col route.

Their initial plans to ascend to Camp 3 and back down to acclimatise were scrapped after Mark's oxygen levels were found to be low.

He was put on oxygen and had to rest for the entire night.

Mark told CNA: "At that point in time, if they told me that if you summit you might die, I would just say: 'Okay, we don't climb'. The mountain will always be there for you to climb."

Separated at Hillary Step

Li Ying reached the summit first, but after taking it in, worry crept in.

She had been separated from Mark at the Hillary Step, and he had yet to reach the summit of the 8,848m mountain, according to CNA.

The Hillary Step is the final obstacle between climbers and the summit. While only 17m high, it is an exposed sheer vertical rockface.

CNA reported that the area is known to be a bottleneck as climbers ascend in a single file whilst dealing with extreme altitude and frosty winds.

Li Ying's guide secured a line for her first due to the human jam, while Mark had to wait for other climbers to descend.

Li Ying said that she was unable to see her husband, and wondered if he was coming up to meet her.

Mark added that climbers would fall off the side of the mountain if they were not clipped on.

But after waiting for about 30 minutes, the couple was reunited at the summit.

Difficult descent

Mark slipped on the descent, falling a couple of metres towards the end of the Hillary Step.

He recounted that it was due to incorrect foot placement, but thankfully, he was clipped on and managed to grab onto the ropes.

Once returning to Camp 4, Mark was losing coordination in his legs due to the cold and fatigue.

Mark said, "I told her it's cold and miserable here, but at least I'm quite miserable here with you."

The couple told CNA that they hope their Everest adventure can inspire others to summit their own Everests, be it personal challenges, uncertainties, or pressures.

"We hope our journey serves as a reminder that growth does not require extreme environments. What matters is the willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone, stay curious, and persevere through setbacks as these challenges are exactly what shape our character and build our grit."