7 Summits Challenge

News: Hyderabad teenager Vishwanath Karthikey Padakanti has become the youngest Indian and the second youngest person in the world to complete the legendary 7 Summits challenge. 7 Summits Challenge.

About 7 Summits Challenge

• The Seven Summits Challenge is a renowned mountaineering achievement that involves climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
• This challenge is considered one of the most prestigious feats in global mountaineering and is highly sought after by adventure climbers worldwide.
• Origin: The challenge was first proposed and completed by American mountaineer Richard Bass in 1985.
• Objective: To summit the highest peak on each continent—Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia/Oceania.

• Major Lists: The Seven Summits challenge has two options – 
  • Bass (or Kosciuszko) List: Includes Mount Kosciuszko (Australia, 2,228 m) as the highest peak for the continent of Australia.
  • Messner (or Carstensz) List: Includes Puncak Jaya (also known as Carstensz Pyramid, 4,884 m) in Indonesia as the highest for Oceania/Australasia, which some argue is more geographically accurate.
• Records:
  • Kaamya Karthikeyan was the youngest Indian to scale the seven summits at the age of 17.
  • The youngest person in the world to scale all seven peaks is American mountaineer Jordan Romero, who achieved the milestone at the age of 15.