- First Sri Lankan to climb the highest Mountain in every continent-Our flag on Every Summit
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From the Knuckles mountain range in Sri Lanka to the highest mountain in the world.
An artist inspired by nature, Johann is a hair-designer by profession and adventurer
by choice. He is the only Sri Lankan man to summit Mt Everest at 8,848m (29,029 feet), which he achieved on 22nd May 2018. But it was not going to stop there.
There was going to be more.
His passion for the great outdoors and his creative soul has struck a perfect balance and is evident in his work, life and interests. Johann began his hair-designing career 35 years ago. Opting for originality over formulaic, he soon became popular as one of the best hair-designers in the country.
Taking his innate flair in the beauty and fashion culture a step further, he re-established the local industry to meet international standards by introducing new concepts in bridal-designs, attire conceptualizing and make-up.
Today he is one of the most sought after hair and beauty designers, and amongst the few Sri Lankans in the industry to be globally acclaimed. Presently he runs four salons, two in Colombo and two in Melbourne.
His career as an artist began long before his venture into the fashion industry; initially as a professional singer with Mary Anne Singers spanning over 20 years, as an actor in the local English theatre, and as a professional dancer competing and performing at local and international competitions.
Johann’s interest in exploring the great outdoors was impressed upon him at a very young age by his father, when the duo regularly explored the Knuckles Mountain range in Sri Lanka.
The passion thus instilled in him, drove him to conquer mountains both in Sri Lanka and around the globe. Thus this passion took him from the Knuckles mountain in Sri Lanka to Mt. Everest and if that wasn’t enough, he is jus back after conquering also the summits of 7 continents.
At 3:00 AM on July 8 2025 to be exact, Johann Peiris stepped onto Sri Lankan soil to cheers, flags and emotional embraces. Waiting for him were friends, family, fans and sponsors, united by pride in what one man had achieved for an entire nation.
He dreamed big. He climbed higher. Now, he returns home a legend. Johann Peiris, Sri Lanka’s trailblazing mountaineer, has made history by completing the world’s ultimate mountaineering challenge, the Seven Summits, scaling the highest mountain on each continent. He becomes the first Sri Lankan man to achieve this feat, planting the national flag in places no Sri Lankan has ever stood before.
We sat down Johann who travelled from the coldest freezing mountain, upon his descent to mother Lanka, straight onto our Sunday Observer Explorer’s HOT SEAT to find out more of his passion and the many accolades he has received in general and with his wide travels and many experiences, his views on travel and tourism in our country and what area he could contribute, put his experiences into service for mother Lanka and what he thinks we need to do more in this Tourist sector, in particular!
Q. Yohan, what was your first serious exploration out of Sri Lanka?
A. My first exploration out of Sri Lanka was the Thai-Burmese border, in 2005. As a more experienced mountaineer I was successful in conquering Everest Base Camp in 2010, Island Peak in 2012, and Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2014.
Q. We were following your movements closely when you commenced your trek in 2016, but heard of how you had to turn back, how did you feel then?
A. I had to turn back just 400 metres short of the summit of Mt Everest in 2016 due to a malfunction in the oxygen tank. However in 2017, as part of my continuing training, I climbed Mont Blanc in Switzerland. I decided to take on the challenge of returning to Mt Everest to complete the journey, which I completed on the 22nd May 2018.
Q. Having reached Mt. Everest made you the first Sri Lankan male and the only hair stylist in the world, to attempt and summit Mt. Everest. What made you to go further, to take on the challenge of completing the seven summits around the world, was it any easier because of you earlier experiance?
A. Each summit challenged my strength, tested my spirit and reaffirmed my purpose, pushing me beyond my limits and teaching me the true meaning of resilience and determination. However, with every step, I carried Sri Lanka with me. This journey was about showing the world who we are. And I’ve never been prouder to be Sri Lankan. The unwavering support and belief of my family, friends, partners, sponsors & faith played a vital role in my success.
Q. For how long have you been preparing for the seven summit journey? was it very difficult? Take us through the years how you conquered each of the summits.
A. Over the course of a decade, I pushed past every setback to claim this remarkable seven summits journey. I began in 2014 with Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, standing at 5,895 metres. In 2016, Imade my first attempt at Mount Everest in Asia, and after a failed try, returned to successfully summit its 8,849-metre peak in 2018. I conquered Mount Kosciuszko in Australia (2,228m) in 2019, followed by Mount Elbrus in Europe (5,642m) in 2023.
In 2025, I was the first Sri Lankan to summit Mount Vinson in Antarctica (4,892m), and continued my pursuit with Aconcagua in South America, where I reached within 200 metres of the 6,961-metre summit amid violent weather.
I also reached High Camp on Denali in North America (6,190m) in perilous conditions that same year, marking a decade of tough climbing, literally.
My final climb was Denali (6,190m), the brutal crown of North America. Battling sub-zero temperatures, heavy loads and treacherous weather, I reached High Camp at 5,243m, the last staging post before the summit, before being forced to turn back due to severe storms and avalanche risk.
Q. Tell us of your fears and challenges you experienced?
A. Every mountain has its own challenges, one of the main concerns is not being able to get back. There’s always the fear of not being able to summit besides the actual factor of being caught in storms and unbearable weather conditions. Injuries caused by extreme cold and wind conditions Is another major concern.
Q. Johann, you have traveled extensively due to this passion of mountaineering, therefore you have wide experience in traveling the world. What are your views on Travel and Tourism in our country and what more do you think we need to do especially in the sphere of trekking and mountaineering to attract more visitors?
A. I would recommend that the Authorities look seriously at adventure Tourism. This is an untapped area that has much potential.
There are many parts of Sri Lanka that have not been explored which offers trekking, climbing, rock climbing, abseiling etc.
These areas need to be identified and necessary steps and measures need to be taken on the safety aspect. Trekking alone can expand the inflow of tourists into the country. This has worked in Nepal, which sees 1.2million trekkers for Everest Base Camp alone each year.
This is a huge untapped market for Sri lanka which we really need to pursue.
Q. Tell us the countries you advice for hikes treks and mountain climbing ?
A. Nepal (hikes and treks the region as well as climbing up to Everest Base camp and other base camps of other mountains), Thailand (in the north of Thailand there walking and hiking opportunities especially in the Chiang Mai area), Tanzania (there are many tourists who come every year to climb Mount Kilimanjaro- this is Adventure tourism as opposed to people who come for safari to see lions,rhinos, baboons and other animals which they cannot see in Sri Lanka – that is not Adventure tourism).
Q. What do you suggest we should have and develop in order to enhance Adventure Tourism in our country. If you can give us some examples that has crossed your mind on sights in Sri Lanka we can develop in this regard?
A. Areas such as the Pekoe trail, the dry zone, mahiyanganaya, dambulla and even places such as Deniyaya have much potential that could be further developed. There are opportunities for hiking as well as rock climbing and abseiling. In many of these areas the basic infrastructure is lacking, especially with regards to safety. This is a particular area that needs development.
Pix by – Shan Rambuwella
