City mountaineer climbs 8th highest peak

A city-based youth and mountaineer Gursimrann Singh Janjua (34) has climbed Mt Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak, in Nepal last week. He had touched its zenith on September 22.

This was the second successful climb of 8,000-metre peak for Gursimrann in a span of just five months. While Mt Manaslu is at a height of 8,163-metre, he had climbed Mt Annapurna I (8,091 m), the world's tenth-highest peak and one of the most notoriously dangerous mountains on April 7.

With two major 8,000-plus metre summits -- Mt Annapurna-I in spring and Mt Manaslu in autumn — this IT project manager working with Ernst & Young has demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication in high-altitude mountaineering throughout 2025.

Gursimrann says that he takes leave from his job to pursue his passion. During his expeditions, he makes sure that he keeps on capturing the beautiful snow-clad peaks. "This time I captured the most iconic view. Mt Manaslu's shadow fell on the Annapurna mountain range. It was simply breathtaking", he showed his posts on his Instagram page.

In August last year, he had scaled two 6,000-metre peaks Kang Yatse-1 and Kang Yatse-2 in the Markha valley of the Zanskar region in Ladakh. Son of an Army officer, Gursimrann is an athlete and trained mountaineer having completed a basic course in mountaineering from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) six years back, an advance course in April 2022, and the search and rescue course in March 2023 from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. Hailing from Makhan Shah Lubana Nagar near here, he enjoys taking part in various adventure sports like parasailing.

Gursimrann said he had planned to summit Mt Manaslu peak without the supplemental oxygen support. "The plan could not materialise as perhaps my body was not ready for that", he beamed. Known for his resilience and multi-disciplinary training, including first-aid and air sports, the dedicated mountaineer is already setting his sights on future expeditions that will challenge his limits once again.