‘The Body Gives Up First — The Mind Decides If You Keep Moving’
Bharath Thammineni has created history as the first Indian to summit all nine 8,000-meter peaks open to Indian climbers. Now, the Everest summiteer heads to Antarctica to complete the Seven Summits challenge
In a landmark milestone for Indian mountaineering, Bharath Thammineni made history as the first and only Indian to summit all nine of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks currently permissible for Indian nationals to climb. He is also the co-founder of Boots & Crampons, India’s leading mountaineering and high-altitude expedition company.
“This winter, I’ll fly to Antarctica to finish the Seven Summits,” he says, calm and steady — as if discussing routine training rather than one of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes. “Every mountain teaches you something. You don't stop just because you've achieved something — you stop when the fire inside calms down. Mine hasn’t.”
Despite standing in elite global company, he refuses to dwell on records. “Glory fades. Discipline doesn’t. You earn a summit long before you touch snow.”
That discipline was shaped in childhood. “I was an athlete before I was a mountaineer,” he says. “Track, football — I loved pushing my body.” Growing up in Kurnool and Guntur, sports gave him endurance and grit. Boarding school routine and years in the hills of Ooty sharpened his instinct further. “I always wanted to do something physically demanding.”
Training for Thin Air
He trained formally at HMI Darjeeling in 2014, but insists the real education came on ice walls and storm-filled ridge lines. “The mountains are the greatest teachers. You learn by climbing, failing, freezing, and going again.”
Through Boots & Crampons, he has led over a thousand climbers worldwide. “Altitude punishes ego. My routine is simple — run, climb, train, repeat. Strength matters, but efficiency matters more. Your lungs must remember thin air.”
Where the Mind Takes Over
Mental toughness, he says, is the true summit tool. Dhaulagiri proved it when he descended while battling lung infection and hallucinations. “The body gives up first. The mind decides if you keep moving. Up there, breath becomes survival, and doubt becomes danger.” Despite the risk, mountains give him peace. “When I guide teams, I love the responsibility. When I climb alone, it’s pure silence — breath, snow, stillness. That stillness pulls me back every time.” Home in Hyderabad means recovery: football, films, writing. “You can’t live only in intensity. Balance keeps you human.”
Next Summits & A Bigger Mission
After Antarctica, the Snow Leopard Challenge — five 7,000-meter peaks — awaits. “India needs a heli-rescue system. People shouldn’t lose lives because help can’t reach in time. If we want world-class mountaineering, safety must match ambition.”
