Software Engineer From Karnataka Becomes First Indian Man to Climb North America's Highest Peak, Mt. Denali Unguided

BANGALORE, September 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

In a proud moment for India, Mr. Satyarup Siddhanta, a software engineer, aspiring magician and mountaineer, climbed Mt. Denali, the highest peak of North America with a summit elevation of 20,322 feet above sea level in just nine days, thereby becoming the first and fastest Indian man ever to do so.

Talking about the challenges faced by him, Mr. Siddhanta said, "Scaling Mt.Denali was a major challenge as the route is extremely dangerous and physically challenging, thereby it required utmost physical and mental strength. Our expedition team had to carry a 20 kg backpack and a 20 kg sled tied to our waist which had to be pulled all the way up to 14200 feet. Added to this, we went to this mountain unguided without any external help like sherpas, porters and guides. I had to train vigorously for four months before I started out for Denali as it is one of the toughest climbs and even competes with Mt.Everest in many aspects."

Mr. Satyarup Siddhanta went unguided to Mt. Denali also called Mt. McKinley, with 4 other friends from Nepal, Canada, US, Bangladesh and on 23rd June 2014 at 8:10 PM reached the summit of Mt. Denali (6962m/22841 feet) conquering all roadblocks. The team comprised of Satyarup Siddhanta, Christopher Manning from Canada, Susmita Maskey from Nepal, Musa Ibrahim from Bangladesh and Ryan Francois from United states of America.

This expedition was special as it was an attempt to restore the relationship between India and Bangladesh through a friendship expedition. This was also special as it was the 6th summit of one of their team members, Susmita Maskey.

Recalling the experience, Mr. Satyarup Siddhanta said, "We faced extreme weather conditions while coming down. I had first level frost bite on both my hand's fingers and was on the verge of losing them. Our tents were under the danger of getting buried in deep snow which we had to shovel out in the middle of the night and at some places it was even neck deep, along with the dangers of crevasse falls, avalanches and exposed ridges, where one mistake means the whole team will be lost in the oblivion forever. Fierce winds, severe cold temperature ranging from minus 30 to minus 40 degree celsius with wind chill factor and poor visibility, we faced it all. Death was waiting for us at every step."

With this wonderful feat, Mr. Siddhanta became the first person from Karnataka to climb Mt. Denali and the first Indian to do so with a medical history of asthma. Prior to this achievement, Satyarup Siddhanta has led successful expeditions to Mt. Kilimanjaro - the highest mountain of Africa, Mt. Elbrus - the highest mountain of Europe and Mt. Aconcagua - the highest mountain of South America. Additionally, he has led numerous treks through Bangalore Mountaineering Club. Satyarup is a certified mountaineer from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling.

Till now, Mr. Satyarup Siddhanta had been chasing his dreams of seven summits with no sponsors. He had been taking personal loans to do his climbs. Recognising his immense potential, now Manipal Education and Medical group has come forward to help Satya towards his mission of Everest 2015. He did his Engineering from Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Sikkim.

Dr. Ranjan Pai, the MD of Manipal group said, "Satya is a great inspiration not only for our students, but for all of us. He has made our institute proud with his achievements and we are honoured to be his alma mater. We wish him luck and promise to support him on his Everest expedition."

With interests ranging from paragliding, horse riding, photography, magic, playing piano, social work, Mr. Siddhanta is a vibrant personality. He recently won the GrabYourDream contest, the largest online hunt for adventurers, an initiative by Cox and Kings. As a part of his winning, he will be doing the Mont Blanc Circuit encompassing France, Italy and Switzerland. In fact, after the circuit, he is planning to climb the peak Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe and is the highest mountain in the Alps. It is a dangerous and deadly mountain and has claimed 50 people this season already with nine deaths in August 2014.

About Satyarup Siddhanta 

Satyarup was born in Kolkata and grew up in a small town called Berhampore in West Bengal. He did his engineering from Sikkim and has been working in Bangalore for 9 years. For the last 5 and half years, he has been working as a technical architect with an MNC called Brady Corporation, which is now celebrating its 100th anniversary. Based in Milwaukee USA, Brady Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of complete identification solutions.

Satyarup is a person, who constantly challenges status quo and believes in pushing his limits. A never say die attitude helps him achieve his goals. An explorer by nature, he pursues varied interests from adventure, travel, indoor sports to music, magic, photography and reading.

Satyarup's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/satyarup.siddhanta

Media contact: Abhishek Saran, [email protected], +91-9535046900, The PRview