Hyderabad Doctor Successfully Scales Mt. Denali after 7 Summits Challenge
Mountaineer Dr. Rajashekhar becomes the first doctor from South Indian states to accomplish the feat
Hyderabad: Indian mountaineer and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rajashekhar has successfully summited Mt. Denali, North America’s highest peak, completing the prestigious Seven Summits challenge—climbing the highest mountain on each continent. With this achievement, he becomes the first doctor from the South Indian states to accomplish the feat.
For Dr. Rajashekhar, the journey to the Seven Summits has been shaped as much by personal adversity as by high-altitude achievement. Throughout this journey, he received invaluable support and guidance from Bharath Thamineni, founder of Boots and Crampon, whose encouragement played an important role in helping him pursue this ambitious goal.
A specialist in hip and knee surgery and a robotic surgeon, he spent years working alongside leading orthopedic surgeons in Hyderabad while also training younger surgeons entering the field.
However, his life took an unexpected turn during the Covid-19 pandemic when he contracted the virus and was hospitalized.
The recovery proved difficult. According to Dr. Rajashekhar, lingering fatigue and a loss of motivation forced him to step away from his profession for nearly a year.
Determined to rebuild his health, he set himself an ambitious goal. He chose mountaineering, a sport that demands exceptional endurance, physical fitness and mental resilience, and began training systematically.
His Seven Summits journey started with a successful ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on January 26, 2022. He followed that with a summit of Mt. Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain, in August 2022.
After suffering multiple injuries, Dr. Rajashekhar took a year-long break before returning to the mountains. He climbed Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia in August 2023 and reached the summit of Mt. Aconcagua, South America’s highest peak, on February 4, 2024.
Just months later, he achieved his most significant mountaineering milestone by summiting Mt. Everest on May 23, 2024. His first attempt on Mt. Denali in Alaska came in June 2025. Severe weather conditions prevented a summit push, and he suffered frostbite during the descent.
Rather than ending the project, the setback reinforced his determination. Later, he successfully climbed Mt. Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak, alongside fellow climber Kavita.
