VIJAYAWADA: Six climbers from AP on Saturday scaled the imposing Mount Everest, marking a red letter day for the state.
They were the first group to reach the summit this season. Bharath Thammineni, K Satya Rao and S Nagaraju sponsored by the AP Youth Services Department and Durgaram, Krishna and Suresh Babu sponsored by the AP Social Welfare Department completed the expedition on Saturday morning.
All of 21 persons from AP began their journey to the top of the world in April assisted by ace mountaineer B Shekar Babu, recipient of the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. The team reached the peak from the northern Tibet side of the mountain. Nagaraju Sundarana (18) from Visakhapatnam, made history by becoming the first person to reach the summit of the 8,848-m peak — the highest point on earth — this year. A group of sherpa guides fixed ropes to the peak through the Tibetan side on Thursday, paving the way for the scaling of the mountain. Mountaineer and guide Shekar Babu said the rest of the 21-member expedition team would soon reach the peak. Three more AP youth are expected to reach the summit on Sunday morning.
Speaking to Express, Special Commissioner of Youth Services Department G Komal Kishore said that the AP government was very proud of the youngsters and congratulated the team for their success. “The team has lived our expectations and they have achieved the greatest feat by climbing Everest. I am sure that the State government will support their future endeavours with financial assistance,” said Kishore.
The team said that the localsherpas helped greatly. As many as 28 sherpas and 12 other staff accompanied the team for almost 40 days. The expedition team reached Kathmandu on April 9 and reached the first base camp on April 18. Most of the team’s climbers come from families with strained financial backgrounds and farming communities.