How Bharath Thammineni became the first Indian to climb 9 of the world's highest mountains
Last month, Bharath Thammineni became the first Indian to climb nine of the highest Himalayan peaks after summiting Cho Oyu in Tibet. He tells Lounge what drove him to the top
There was a sense of despondency as Bharath Thammineni sat in his tent at the base camp of Cho Oyu (8,201m), the sixth highest mountain in the world. The inclement weather in early October had dumped piles of snow around him. It was evident that there would be more of it up on the mountain, the unstable slopes making conditions tricky for climbing.
There was a lot at stake for Thammineni. Securing a climbing permit from the China Tibet Mountaineering Association had taken eight long months. Getting to the summit of Cho Oyu would make him the only Indian to have climbed nine 8,000-metre mountains of the world. Only now, he was looking at returning empty-handed.
“It’s definitely one of the easier climbs, but we had missed out on a good weather window. There was at least a metre of snow that would have certainly buried all the ropes. We didn’t have enough manpower to fix new lines either. At that point, I had packed my bags to return home," Thammineni, 36, recalls.
Thammineni knew he had to make the most of the opportunity. Once the weather stabilised on 7 October, those remaining at base camp got together for a discussion. With the few resources on hand, they decided to make one last push for the summit.
Thammineni was aware that he would have to make rapid progress, considering he had chosen to climb without any guided support. On 12 October, he got his summit bid underway.
“We had to break trail all over again and dig out the rope on challenging sections. We were just eight climbers, so we had to distribute the work among us," he says.
At 1.30am on 14 October, Thammineni set off for the summit from Camp 2 (7,200m). He had to drop his pace when he realised that he would make the top in the dark. At 9.15am, he reached the summit of Cho Oyu.
“I’ve never really believed in chasing records because I know that history can never be erased. Then again, it is only after climbing Cho Oyu that I’m in the news. A lot of my family members and neighbours didn’t know I’ve been climbing these big mountains for so many years," he says, laughing.
Thammineni first soaked in the wonders of the mountains while pursuing genetic engineering in Ooty. After graduation, he took time off to travel the country while taking on assignments as a student mentor on engineering projects. In 2014, he picked up basic climbing skills at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling and had his first taste of altitude.
In 2015, an attempt on Everest was wiped out by the earthquake. It took a while to recover financially, but two years later, he pulled off a successful climb on the mountain.
“It made me realise that I wanted to pursue mountaineering further. But raising funds was quite a challenge and I’m not very good at it. To be self-sufficient and continue honing my skills on the mountain, I decided to start my own outdoors company (in 2017)," he says.
Through Boots and Crampons, Thammineni started offering treks and climbs around the world. Alongside, he started pursuing the other 8,000m mountains. After Everest, he summited Manaslu in 2018 and Lhotse in 2019.
“I had never considered climbing the other 8,000ers. But meeting people handed me a lot of exposure and changed my mindset," he says.
In 2022, he made a double climb up Annapurna and Kangchenjunga within a few weeks. On Annapurna, his team was slowed down considerably due to conditions on the mountain and two members who were climbing without oxygen. He summited as late as 2pm and had immense difficulty getting off the mountain.
“My oxygen pipe was blocked. We lost our way and had to descend via a different route. I spent about 28 hours in the Death Zone (altitude above 8,000m). At one point, I thought it would be our last day," he says.
After knocking off Nepal’s Makalu in 2023 and Shishapangma in Tibet the next year came his most challenging climb on Dhaulagiri earlier this year. By the time he started for the summit, Thammineni had fever and was struggling to breathe. When his pace dropped, he asked his high-altitude guide to push on without him. His troubles began after reaching the top—a relatively simple descent of 2-3 hours took him close to 12 hours. He is grateful to a Sherpa team that assisted him from Camp 3 to Camp 2.
“I experienced hallucinations—though I was all alone, I felt like someone was walking alongside me at all times. Once at summit camp, a Russian climber kept handing out water every hour. When I thanked him at base camp for his help, he told me he had never been around. I had imagined all of it," he says.
“I could have turned back on multiple occasions. But with so many climbs under my belt, I became overconfident. The mountain taught me a lesson, a really humbling experience that will always stay with me," he says.
With the 8,000m mountains of Nepal out of the way—the other five are in Pakistan and inaccessible for Indian climbers—Thammineni now wants to focus on more challenging climbs. Next year, he wants to attempt a few 7,000m mountains in the Pamirs in Central Asia, such as Korzhenevskaya, Khan Tengri, Communism Peak and Pobeda Peak. And continue guiding others to their own summits.
“There’s a sense of satisfaction in helping others achieve their goals. And climb my own mountains along the way," he says.
Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.
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