A Satyarup Siddhanta attempt to conquer Mount Everest

He had dreams to scale heights and nothing could stop the unstoppable Satyarup Siddhanta. Not even his asthma could come in the way of this Mountain-Man who successfully conquered Mount Everest. Bengaluru-based mountaineer Satya started his journey to Nepal to conquer Mt. Everest in April this year and after an acclimatisation process crossing the Khumbu icefall, he left from base camp and reached the summit and flew the Indian flag on the Mount Everest on May 21. We speak to the computer science and engineering graduate on his climb to the top.

Satya, a self-confessed child of the mountains was ironically an asthma patient and could not climb mountains. “I had to undergo intensive treatment for five years until I was cured completely. Following my dream was filled with challenges. Since I had to go on the expedition, I had to leave my job. I work as a consultant at two MNCs now.

The seed was planted when my team leader at an IT firm showed me pictures of a trek in Tamil Nadu. I was fascinated with Parvathumalai and soon I came across Bangalore Mountaineering Club website and took my first trek to Skandagiri in Karnataka. I joined the BMC and trekked to Nandi Hills and went on weekend treks to many places.

The climb to Everest was filled with challenges. I fell down in a deep crevasse after a snowbridge broke enroute to camp 2. The crevasse was so deep that I couldn’t even see the bottom, but I was saved. In another incident while I was going to camp 3 during our final push, I saw a sherpa falling off to death from around 8000 m, while we were climbing up the Lhotse face. It was hard to come out of that trauma.

Finally I convinced myself and 15 minutes before reaching the summit, my oxygen mask malfunctioned and I was without supplementary oxygen. I had to borrow my sherpa’s mask and complete the summit. Four of my friends were rescued through airlift,” he states of how he overcame all the challenges.

Recalling his most memorable treks, he shares, “Climbing Mt Denali was a memorable one, because we went there without any assistance, digging for a tent, pitching tents, making ice walls, melting snow for drinking water, cooking, cleaning, basically everything after a hard day’s climb! Trek to the Sakleshpur abandoned railway track trek and Kumarparvata treks are memorable too. My idol is George Mallory who might have been the first person ever to reach Mt Everest in 1924.”

Next on the radar, we ask and Satya who is also a certified horse rider and a paraglider reveals, “I’m climbing the highest mountain of each continent popularly known as climbing the seven summits. I’ve already climbed the highest mountain of six continents – Mt Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt Elbrus (Russia), Mt Mont Blanc (Europe), Mt Aconcagua (South America), Mt Denali/Mt McKinley (North America), Mt Kosciuszko (Australia) and now I’m going to climb the highest mountain of Antarctica Mt Vinson Massif and looking for funding.”