Who comes to your mind when you first hear the name – Arjun?
Maybe Karan Arjun or Arjun from the famous Mahabharata? Or just a friend named Arjun? Well, the Arjun we are talking about has forever been fascinated by trekking and mountaineering, and that has led him to become the third youngest Indian to ever climb the Mount Everest.
FACEBOOK/ ARJUN VAJPAI
The Mount Everest Journey
Summiting Mount Everest was only the start of Arjun’s journey. After climbing the Everest in the year 2011, Arjun went on to become the youngest mountaineer to summit the Lhotse and the Manaslu, the fourth and the eight highest mountains in the world respectively.
After climbing and conquering these tall and steep peaks, Arjun decided to conquer Mount Makalu - a mountain which is notorious for its steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are open to the elements and has double the fatality rate as that of Mount Everest
The Love Story Of Arjun And Mount Makalu
This is the love story that every aspiring mountaineer should take inspiration from. Arjun began his journey to the peak of Mount Makalu for the first time in the year 2013, when the mountain first defied him as he and his team fell short of ropes just 150 meters away from the peak.
In the year 2014, in his second attempt to the summit of Mount Makalu, one of his fellow climbers deceased, due to which Arjun and his team had to return.
In his third attempt in the year 2015, an earthquake shook Nepal and he had to return, again. After facing death, an avalanche and failure three times in a row, he conquered the fifth highest mountain in the world - Mount Makalu - in his fourth attempt, in the year 2016.
Mountains After Mountains
Apart from climbing Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Manaslu, and Mount Makalu, Arjun has also climbed Mount Cho Oyu - the sixth highest mountain in the world which is also known as the Turquoise Goddess. He, along with his mountaineering partner Bhupesh Kumar also climbed an unnamed peak - or "virgin peak" as they called it - in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti valley. They named the 6,180-metre high peak Mt. Kalam, in the honour of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
On Mount Cho Oyu, Arjun had to be evacuated from Camp 2 as he was stuck in a snowstorm with low oxygen supply and suffered paralysis along with pulmonary edema.
During this expedition, the left side of Arjun’s body stopped functioning completely. Even after all the difficulties he faced, Arjun’s spirit did not die; he went on to become the youngest Indian to master Mount Cho Oyu in the year 2016.
With the dream to hit the ‘Grand Slam’, the unstoppable man – Arjun Vajpai has now set sight on the mighty Kangchenjunga - the third highest mountain in the world.
It takes a lot of courage to undertake such a treacherous climb.
It's his passion that has taken him places and we wish him all the best for this magnanimous adventure. We hope that he makes it to the top with flying colours.
