Bharath Thammineni became the first and only Indian to reach the top of all nine of the 8,000-meter peaks in the globe that are now accessible to Indian citizens, marking a significant turning point in Indian mountaineering. He is also a co-founder of Boots & Crampons, the top high-altitude expedition and mountaineering firm in India. Calm and steady, he says, “This winter, I’ll fly to Antarctica to finish the Seven Summits,” as though talking about regular training rather than one of the harshest environments on earth. You can learn something from every mountain. You quit when the fire inside of you goes out, not because you’ve accomplished something. Mine hasn’t.
Even if he is a prestigious international company, he doesn’t focus on the past. “Glory wanes. No, discipline doesn’t. Long before you set foot on snow, you have earned a summit. Childhood shaped that discipline. He claims that before to becoming a mountaineer, he was an athlete. In football and track, I enjoyed exerting my body. Sports helped him develop his grit and endurance as he was growing up in Kurnool and Guntur. Years spent in the Ooty hills and the boarding school routine honed his instincts even more. “I’ve always wanted to engage in physically demanding activities.”
Getting Ready for Thin Air Although he received official training at HMI Darjeeling in 2014, he maintains that the true education was received on ice walls and ridge lines that were rife with storms. “The best teachers are the mountains.” Climbing, failing, freezing, and then trying again is how you learn. He has guided more than a thousand climbers throughout the world with Boots & Crampons. “Ego is punished by altitude. I follow a straightforward routine: run, climb, train, repeat. While strength is important, efficiency is more important. Your lungs need to recall thin air.
Where the Mind Takes Over He claims that the real summit tool is mental toughness. It was demonstrated by Dhaulagiri, who descended despite suffering from hallucinations and a lung ailment. First, the body surrenders. The mind determines whether you continue to move. Breath turns into survival up there, and uncertainty turns into danger. Mountains bring him tranquilly in spite of the danger. “I enjoy the responsibility that comes with leading teams. When I climb by myself, there is only silence—snow, breath, and quiet. I’m always drawn back by that silence. In Hyderabad, home is synonymous with recuperation: writing, films, and football. “You can’t live a life of intensity alone. You remain human when you are balanced. Future Summits & A Greater Purpose Five 7,000-meter peaks make up the Snow Leopard Challenge, which comes after Antarctica. “India requires a system for heli-rescue. People shouldn’t die because assistance won’t arrive in time. Ambition and safety must coexist if we want top-notch mountaineering.
