Sixteen-year-old Nisha Shasikumar has become the youngest individual to scale Mount Everest from the south route, marking a significant milestone in Indian mountaineering.
A resident of Chennai with roots in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district, Nisha achieved the feat after taking up mountaineering just two years ago. She attributes her success to the constant support of her father, Shasikumar Gandham, who has accompanied her throughout her climbing journey.
Nisha's interest in mountaineering began during trekking expeditions to Nepal and Uttarakhand with her father. What initially seemed daunting soon developed into a passion, motivating her to pursue the ambitious Seven Summits Challenge.
“In the beginning, it was scary, but later I started enjoying it. That motivated me to pursue mountaineering seriously,” she said.
Her journey has not been without setbacks. In 2024, an attempt to scale a peak in Africa was abandoned because of a snowstorm. However, she went on to summit Mount Elbrus in Russia and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She later added Mount Kosciuszko, Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Aconcagua in Argentina to her growing list of achievements.
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Recalling her Everest expedition, Nisha described the climb as physically and emotionally demanding. During the ascent, her father developed breathing difficulties and had to stop at Camp 3, located at an altitude of around 7,000 metres. Despite this, he urged her to continue towards the summit.
“After reaching the top, I thought of my father and grandfather. Hoisting the Indian flag at the summit felt surreal,” she said.
Nisha described the stretch between Camp 3 and Camp 4, and the final push to the summit, as the most challenging phase of the expedition. Battling extreme cold, strong winds and low oxygen levels, she said Camp 4, often referred to as the “death zone”, was the toughest part of the climb. She also acknowledged the vital support of Sherpa guides.
Having completed summits across five continents, Nisha now aims to finish the Seven Summits Challenge by November. Her next target is Mount Denali. If successful, she could become the youngest person in the world to complete the prestigious challenge.
Apart from mountaineering, Nisha is a trained basketball player, practises karate and has authored a book titled Policy Reforms to Climb Mount Everest. She hopes to pursue higher studies in business and sports psychology.
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