Andhra mountaineer becomes first Indian to summit 9 of world's highest 8,000 metre peaks

Bharath Thammineni, a 36-year old mountaineer from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday became the first Indian to summit all nine of the world's 14 highest peaks, after successfully climbing Mt Cho Oyu (8,188m), the sixth-highest mountain, sources close to the climber claimed.

Prior to this latest achievement, Thammineni had summited Mt Everest in May 2017, Mt Manaslu in September 2018, Mt Lhotse in May 2019, Mt Annapurna in March 2022, Mt Kanchenjunga in April 2022, Mt Makalu in May 2023, Mt Shishapangma in October 2024 and Mt Dhaulagiri in April 2025 – all 8,000 plus metre peaks, they said.

Five of the remaining top peaks – Mt K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and II and Broad Peak — are in Pakistan and are currently out of bounds for Indian climbers.

Thammineni reached the Cho Oyu base camp in China on September 30 and had to abandon initial attempts to climb the mountain on account of inclement weather and heavy snowfall and had to stay put at the base camp, he told friends back in India who were monitoring his climb.

"We waited till October 12 and then decided to make a quick summit push. I made it to the top this morning at 6.55 am, China time and 8.55 am IST," the climber said, after descending to the summit camp after his successful assent.

Thammineni's climb assumed further significance since his push to the summit from base camp had no Sherpa support.

Founder of Boots & Crampons, a mountaineering company, Thammineni has already won the recognition as India's one of most accomplished high-altitude climbers, sources close to the climber claimed.

"Over the last decade, Bharath has guided expedition teams across six continents and inspired a new generation of Indian climbers. Under his leadership, the Everest 2025 expedition achieved landmark milestones after Chhonzin Angmo from Himachal Pradesh became the world's first blind woman to summit the world's highest peak and Vishwanath Karthikey, then a 16-year old, became the youngest Indian to complete the Seven Summits challenge," said Dipanjan Das, a friend of Thammineni who has closely monitored the mountaineer's career, said.

In a recorded message from the summit camp, the climber dedicated his achievement to the newer generation of adventure sports enthusiasts in this country.

"This is not just a personal achievement, but a testament to the potential of Indian adventure sports," he said. "The mountains demand respect, perseverance, and patience. Standing on the summit of Cho Oyu 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 added.