Techie-turned-trekker Sandeep Vijaykumar Shah has become the first Indian to climb Mt. Elbrus (5,642 meters), Europe's tallest mountain, from its northern flank and descended to the south flank. Sandeep and his friend Rekha Tiwari, team from Bengaluru, embarked on their journey on August 29 for the base camp and completed the expedition in 19 hours on September 2.
Confirming the development, Russian mountaineering organisation ‘Mountain Guide’ said, "On September 2, 2:53 pm, Sandeep V Shah became the first Indian to summit Mount Elbrus from the North Face traverse, from the east summit (5621 meters) to west summit (5,642 meters), and descended to the south face." The India Book of Records also appreciated Sandeep's feat for summiting both peaks of Mount Elbrus.
Sharing his experience, Sandeep said the freezing Russian weather and scarcity of vegetarian food were among the toughest challenges he had to navigate. He also highlighted that completing the summit within a suitable time was also a challenge.
"The expedition had its challenges, but we consider it an expedition as we had to overcome these challenges to complete it successfully," Sandeep Shah said.
'Goal Is To Conquer 14 Highest Peaks'
Sandeep's ultimate goal is to conquer the 14 highest peaks situated in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain range by 2025. With Mount Elbrus summit done and dusted, the team has now covered two peaks. They had already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, (the highest mountain in Africa) to Uhuru Peak at 5895 meters on August 23, 2023.
Project Reroute - Wilderness On Foot
In 2020, while doing his IT job in Bengaluru, Sandeep launched 'Project Reroute', which is an integrated platform for mountaineering, wildlife trekking, cycling, fitness workshops, and healthy nutrition. Through this project, he is trying to bridge the gap between forests and the public.
Sandeep said that project Reroute aims to support the forest guards and watchers who are our "frontline" foot soldiers. "(It is the) first Indian organisation to independently organise Mount Kilimanjaro and collaborate with the Tanzanian Forest Department," Sandeep said.
Sandeep further said that the weather conditions on the mountains were not stable and were becoming increasingly severe and harsh with time due to global warming.
Sandeep is a certified mountaineer from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), an institute run by Ministry of Defence. "NIM has been a great mentor, especially VP Major Dheval Vajpayee sir, who has been an inspiration to me," he said.
‘Mountaineers Are First Responders During Natural Calamities’
Speaking on mountaineering in India, Sandeep said it required better training facilities, easy access to equipment, and acknowledgment. He also mentioned that it took him three years to collect funds for this summit as there was no such facility or financial support from the government. He pointed out that foreign mountaineers had better fundings and sponsorships to complete their expeditions.
Highlighting the importance of mountain climbing, he emphasised that the trainees from mountaineering institutes are the first responders during any natural calamities.
In India, people look at mountains only to enjoy vacation or some even try their hands at mountaineering as a hobby. India has a wide range of mountains from Maharashtra to the Northeast, however people mostly visit Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to lack of awareness about the mountains and places they could go in other states as well.