Pritam Bhattarai
Kathmandu, Sept 29: Indian alpinist Arjun Vajpai is set to embark on an expedition to Shishapangma (8,027m), the world’s 14th highest mountain, as part of his mission to complete his 14×8000’ers quest.
Vajpai, who leaves for Tibet tomorrow, aspires to make Shishapangma his eighth successful mountain. He shared his plans at a press meet today in Kathmandu.
At just 30 years old, Vajpai has already made numerous achievements in mountaineering, including being the first Indian to summit seven peaks above 8,000m and having completed 16 expeditions.
He also holds a Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to climb two higher 8000’ers: Mt. Everest in 2010 at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 18 days, and Mt. Lhotse in 2011 at the age of 17 years, 11 months and 16 days.
His other notable summits include Mt. Makalu, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Manaslu, Mt. Annapurna, and Cho-Oyu.
Vajpai underscored that mental strength and resilience along with physical training play a major role in mountaineering, saying, “When the body gives up, the mind takes over, and the hardest and most unachievable task can be managed by the mind.”
His ultimate goal is to become the first Indian to scale all 14 of the world’s 8000-meter summits.
“It is my dream to climb all 14 mountains above 8000 meters, raise India’s flag high, and become the first Indian to achieve this feat. Right now, my focus is on #Project8k, and I’m going to give my best to achieve this daunting task.”
Born in Mumbai with no family background in mountaineering, Vajpai was inspired by his father’s passion for adventure as a member in the Indian paramilitary force. “My father’s inspiration instilled my passion for for the mountains at an early age,” he said.
He hopes to inspire the younger generation to pursue their passion for the mountains.
Arjun’s climbing journey include:
• 2010: Mt. Everest
• 2011: Mt. Lhotse
• 2011: Mt. Manaslu
• 2016: Mt. Makalu
• 2016: Mt. Cho Oyu
• 2018: Mt. Kangchenjunga
• 2023: Mt. Annapurna
This expedition is supported by Seven Summit Treks, and Mpower, an initiative by the Aditya Birla Education Trust, pioneers in providing holistic mental health services.
Vajpai will join a team of 30 climbers attempting the mountain under the leadership of Seven Summit Treks with 13 of the climbers aiming to finish their 14×8000’er quests.
