Bharath Thammineni Makes History: First Indian to Conquer Nine 8,000-Meter Peaks

5 of the remaining top peaks are in Pakistan and are currently inaccessible to Indian climbers. (File)

Kolkata:

Bharath Thammineni, a 36-year-old mountaineer from Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool, has made history by becoming the first Indian to conquer nine of the world's fourteen highest mountains. He achieved this remarkable feat on Tuesday after successfully scaling Mt Cho Oyu (8,188m), the sixth-highest mountain globally, according to sources close to the climber.

Before this significant accomplishment, Thammineni had already conquered eight other 8,000-plus meter peaks: Mt Everest (May 2017), Mt Manaslu (September 2018), Mt Lhotse (May 2019), Mt Annapurna (March 2022), Mt Kanchenjunga (April 2022), Mt Makalu (May 2023), Mt Shishapangma (October 2024), and Mt Dhaulagiri (April 2025).

The remaining five of the world's highest peaks - Mt K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and II, and Broad Peak - are located in Pakistan and currently remain inaccessible to Indian mountaineers.

Thammineni arrived at the Cho Oyu base camp in China on September 30. Initial summit attempts were thwarted by poor weather conditions and heavy snowfall, forcing him to remain at the base camp. He informed his friends in India who were monitoring his progress that they waited until October 12 before deciding to make a quick summit push.

"I reached the top this morning at 6:55 am China time, which is 8:55 am IST," the mountaineer reported after successfully descending to the summit camp following his ascent.

What makes Thammineni's achievement even more impressive is that his summit push from base camp was completed without Sherpa support.

As the founder of Boots & Crampons, a mountaineering company, Thammineni is already recognized as one of India's most accomplished high-altitude climbers, according to sources close to him.

"Throughout the past decade, Bharath has led expedition teams across six continents and inspired a new generation of Indian climbers. His leadership during the Everest 2025 expedition facilitated remarkable achievements, including Chhonzin Angmo from Himachal Pradesh becoming the world's first blind woman to summit Everest, and Vishwanath Karthikey, a 16-year-old, becoming the youngest Indian to complete the Seven Summits challenge," said Dipanjan Das, a friend who has closely followed the mountaineer's career.

In a recorded message from the summit camp, Thammineni dedicated his achievement to India's emerging adventure sports enthusiasts.

"This isn't merely a personal achievement, but a testament to the potential of Indian adventure sports," he stated.

"Mountains demand respect, perseverance, and patience. Standing on Cho Oyu's summit today, I feel immense gratitude for the journey and hope this inspires a new generation of Indian climbers to aim for the highest peaks," he concluded.