Ben Fogle has had a five-year-old tattoo that commemorated his climb up Mount Everest removed from his wrist.
The TV presenter noted that the height of Mount Everest had been recalculated since he got the tattoo in 2018, rendering his ink inaccurate.
His tattoo read “8848”, which symbolised 8,848m. This used to be the official height of the world’s highest peak.
But in December 2020, it was recalculated by China and Nepal, which both agreed that the new height was 8,848.86m.
In an Instagram post, Fogle explained why he decided to get rid of the tattoo, even though it represented a “life-changing” moment for him.
He shared photos of his wrist with the tattoo and later, with a blank area of skin where the ink used to be.
The New Lives in the Wild presenter wrote: “Nothing has to last forever. I decided to get rid of my Everest tattoo. It took time. A looong [sic] time. Just like the climb. It took patience.
“And the realisation that we have the power to change the things we regret, the tattoo, not the climb.”
Fogle said that although climbing Mount Everest was a “permanent memory” for him, the tattoo resembled a PIN number and didn’t properly represent what the climb meant to him.
“Not even the height of Everest, which has been recalculated from 8,848m to 8,484.8m, is permanent,” he continued.
“Maybe I was never meant to have it? My tattoo of the wrong height has gone but the memories remain on the inside.
“Somewhere there is a metaphor but I’m just glad to have my wrist back. It only took minutes to get but took years to remove.”
The travel and adventure broadcaster concluded his post with some advice for others who might be thinking about getting tattoos.
“Think before you ink. An addendum. I have other tattoos that I like a LOT [sic].”
His post has sparked some debate among fans, some of whom are firmly against tattoos and others who embrace the body art.
One person wrote: “’Think before you ink’ – never have I read such wise words, Ben. I am one of those people who don’t like ‘body art’ at all. But at the end of the day, I don’t like body art, other people do… [Their] body [their]choice as they say. Well done Ben, tattoo gone but memory of the climb has not.”
Another said: “Showing this to my daughter! Think before you ink deffo [sic] a great message!”
But others said that they love their tattoos, with several sharing that they got inked later in life and are happy with their decision.
“I’ve just had my first at 62 years! Love it,” one person said, while another added: “I’ve got ones I regret. They’re staying. It’s part of my story.”
Fogle successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest in May 2018. Speaking from the mountain at the time, he said: “It has been an extraordinary journey to achieve a childhood dream to summit Mount Everest, and so do so safely and successfully with my guide Kenton Cool, and our incredible Sherpa team including Siddhi Tamang.”
He climbed the mountain as the UN Environment Programme Patron of the Wilderness and highlighted the amount of litter left there. The mountain attracts a huge number of climbers annually, but over the years has accumulated vast amounts of trash that have earned it the nickname “the world’s highest garbage dump”, according to National Geographic.
