P. Vishwanath Karthikey who became the youngest Indian to summit Mt.
Vinson Massif (16050ft), the highest peak in Antarctica.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At 16, when many of his age group wouldn’t have seen even a snow-clad mountain, Padakanti Vishwanath Karthikey charted out his own route to history to become the youngest Indian to summit Mt Vinson Massif (16050ft), the highest peak in Antarctica.
The 11th Standard student of Resonance Junior College in Hyderabad, achieved this magnificent feat last Tuesday (November 26, 2024) as part of the ‘Boots & Crampons-Elite Exped team’, led by Nirmal Purja. They were back to the camp with a sense of pride!
Withhis parents Rajendera Prasad and Laxmi extending all out support to his passion with the motto ‘doing what you love leads to a fulfilling and successful life” , it has been a truly incredible journey for the young mountaineer.
It was the ‘Pandemic Lockdown’ which spurred this young boy at 11 to look at mountaineering. His first adventure was to trek Mt. Rudugaira (5889m) in Uttarakhand when he failed to reach the summit.
After convincing his parents, he attended a course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and attempted Europe’s highest peak – Mt. Elbrus at 13. But he was forced to return after his teammate fainted.
With guidance and mentorship of Bharath and Lt. Romil Barthwal, an Indian Army veteran, Karthikey has been honing his climbing skills for the past four years.
For the record, this gifted mountaineer embarked on November 21 to reach Punta Arenas (Chile) and after preparations and briefings with Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions, flew to Union Glacier on November 25. Once he got acclimatised to the conditions and planning the climb, he moved to Vinson Massif base camp.
Obviously, it was not a ‘joy ride’ for sure. Karthikey countered the challenges of extreme weather conditions and successfully scaled the peak with sheer grit, determination and never-say-die attitude.
This is not just about climbing mountains but building character and preparing for challenges in life, the mentors said.
What next? Now gearing up for Aconcagua (South America) in January and the ultimate mountaineering challenge, Mt. Everest in May 2025, with the objective of completing the ultimate dream of any mountaineer -Seven Summits Challenge.
Published – December 06, 2024 05:14 pm IST
