Sanjha Morcha

Three-time Everest climber wants to scale highest peaks of all continents

JAMMU: Ecstatic after scaling Mount Everest for the third time, Lieutenant Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal says he is targeting to scale all the highest peaks of the seven continents.

Lt Col Jamwal is the first army officer from Jammu and Kashmir and third in India to achieve the feat for a third time. He had first scaled the world’s highest peak at 8,848 metres on May 25, 2012 and the second time on May 19, 2013.

Lt Col Jamwal belongs to Badhori village in Samba district.

“Till date, out of the seven tallest peaks, I have scaled five. Till now, I have scaled Mount Everest in Asia, Aconcagua in South America, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Europe and Mount Kosciuszko in Australia,” said Jamwal.

“Now, two tallest peaks are left to be scaled which includes Mount Vinson in Antarctica and Mount McKinley in North America,” he says enthusiastically.

“The total expedition cost for Mount Vinson in Antarctica will cost at least `25 lakh and I am looking for sponsors. Usually it costs around five lakh to scale other peaks, but Antarctica being the toughest and most treacherous, the expenses are quite high. I hope that in the coming December, I am able to scale that peak too. While I will scale Mount McKinley in next June,” said Jamwal.

Asked if he loved mountaineering since childhood, Jamwal says, “I only picked up mountaineering after joining the army. After joining the mountaineering course, I felt I can scale mountains. Whatever I am today, is because of the army. I joined army as a sepoy.”

Jamwal joined the army on October 24, 1994 as a Sepoy in the Dogra Regiment (15 Dogra) but cleared the officer Examination (Army Cadet College) and joined Indian Military Academy in 1998. He got commissioned into 11 JAT regiment in June 2002.