The last time Arjun Vajpai made news was when he became, at 16, the youngest Indian to climb the highest peak in the world. After only a year, he's back, this time all set to conquer Mt. Lhotse, the fourth highest peak on earth. At 17, if his attempt is successful, Arjun will set another record and become the youngest person in the world to climb this mountain.
While most people expect a feat such as climbing Mt. Everest to be the ultimate show of courage and determination for a mountaineer, for Arjun it is only the beginning. He has his sight set on conquering much more.
“The prime feat for a mountaineer is to fulfil the three-pole challenge,” says his father, Capt. Sanjeev Vajpai. This challenge includes conquering the trinity of the mountaineering world — the Everest, the North Pole and the South Pole.
Along with the three-pole challenge, Arjun is also aiming towards becoming the youngest person to climb the 14 peaks in the world that are over 8000 metres. So far, only 21 people have climbed these 14 peaks.
Mt. Lhotse itself poses a grave challenge. The youngest person till date to climb this peak is 23-year-old Tamara Lunger.
Mt. Lhotse is best known for its proximity to Mount Everest, but is a dramatic peak in its own right. The south face of the peak is the steepest (of this size) in the world and has been the scene of many failed attempts.
“Many people might think that after climbing the Everest, this will be easier, but that's not true. The only thing that's true is this time, I will be better prepared and all the smaller details that escaped me during the Everest climb will be paid attention to,” says Arjun. However, this 17-year-old seems relaxed and confident. This could also be because he is close to the end of his final exams. “I train for four hours every day. even during exams. there isn't too much pressure, but yes, it is difficult trying to balance both. I do my best and I think I've managed to do justice to both.”
On April 13, Arjun finishes his board exams and the next day, he will set off for Kathmandu. His mountain journey will begin on April 20.
Environmentally speaking
Arjun will be carrying the message of environmental safekeeping with him.
He hopes to join hands with the World Wildlife Fund and be not only an Indian climbing the peak, but also a representative of the youth of the world.
After Mt. Lhotse, Arjun will begin his training for the South Pole. And his mission this time would be making “the penguins feel at home”. “While I do want to prove that Indian mountaineers are as good as mountaineers from other parts of the world, I also have a larger purpose; carrying the message of preserving nature.”
Mt. Lhotse
It is the fourth highest mountain — the first three being Mount Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga
The main summit is 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle (East) is 8,414 metres and Lhotse Shar is 8,383 metres.
Lhotse is famous for its tremendous south face. This rises 3.2 km in only 2.25 km of horizontal distance, making it the steepest face of this size in the world.
The western flank of Lhotse is known as the Lhotse Face. Any climber bound for the South Col on Everest must climb this 1,125m (3,700 ft) wall of glacial blue ice. This face rises at 40° and 50° pitches with the occasional 80° bulges.
