This 50-year-old Delhi man conquered Mount Everest

Fifty-year-old corporate honcho, Aditya Gupta, describes his travails of conquering the world’s highest peak
Aditya Gupta
Aditya Gupta

At an age when even passionate sports persons hang their boots, 50-year-old Aditya Gupta has set a new personal record. In May this year, he scaled Mt Everest. For achieving this feat, Gupta underwent a gruelling training and shed 12kg as climbing the highest peak in the world requires fitness, both mental and physical.

“I trained for nine months – ran with a rucksack on my back and weights tied to my legs daily to strengthen my back and legs,” says Gupta, who is a sportsperson, but a businessman – he owns Sharda Exports, The Rug Republic and The Furniture Republic.

Aditya Gupta (below) 
Aditya Gupta (below) 

The Panchsheel Park resident says conquering Mount Everest was a life-changing experience. “It taught me mental toughness, focus, optimism, self-confidence, courage and the power of goals. I also learnt that even the most monumental task can be achieved by breaking it into smaller bits.”

The trek to the top of the world is riddled with many challenges, and one has to stay mentally strong, cautions Gupta. “Khumbu Icefall, the first part to cross, is the most dangerous as the terrain is quite treacherous and full of crevices. The entire terrain has many crevices, some of which you have to cross with an aluminum ladder of just 12-inch width. Then there is lack of oxygen... Only will power keeps you going,” he says.”

Gupta also shares a dangerous accident that occurred here. “While crossing the icefall, my left leg hit the ice floor and went straight into the icy waters below...till my upper thigh. Before the Sherpas could pull me out, water had got into my boot, completely soaking it. I had to turn back to the base that day and go back up again, alone the next day.”

Humbled by the pinnacle

There’s a sense of gratitude when you reach top. “You realise that there has to be some divine power that looked after you all this while. You feel a sense of relief having fulfilled a dream but restless because it’s just half the journey. The return journey is when most tragedies happen,” says Gupta.

Long-time love

The initial interest in mountaineering and the idea of conquering Everest germinated in him as a student at IIT Roorkee. “I had joined the Himalayan Explorer Club and enjoyed trekking trips. My first expedition was to Pindari Glacier in 1987,” he says. But Gupta got serious towards his hobby in 1991 after doing a course in mountaineering.  He has been doing one adventure tour every year since then.

“After the course, ‘serious expeditions’ became a way of life. Then in 2008-09, during my Brahmaputra rafting expedition, my friends motivated me to undertake the Mt Everest expedition. It is the final frontier for any mountaineer. It simply charms us. I tried climbing it in 2014 but had to return after an avalanche hit.”

Gupta doesn’t limit himself to mountains. His adventure tours may not be extreme in nature, but they are certainly out of the ordinary. Like climbing a dormant volcano in Ecuador and riding horses on the Mongolian mountains. Even as the businessman keeps a sharp eye on developing market trends, the adventurer in him is planning the next exhilarating trip. “Adventure is my long-time love and I will do it till my body allows. There are so many areas to explore. I am yet to go sea-diving and explore the Amazon rainforest again. There’s nothing you cannot do if you have the mental tenacity and physical endurance. But keep your eyes on the goal,” Gupta advises.

Other feats

Aditya Gupta doesn’t limit himself only to mountains. His adventure tours may not be extreme in nature, but are certainly out of the ordinary. Like climbing a dormant volcano in Ecuador and riding horses on the Mongolian mountains.

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