Flag-off Ceremony for Giripremi’s Mount Samgyal, Mount Dawa, and Mount Meru Expeditions Held in Pune
Pune, 26th July 2025: Giripremi, Pune’s renowned mountaineering club, has announced two major expeditions in the Indian Himalayas for this year in the month of August. Among them is a twin expedition to Mount Samgyal (5,814 meters) and Mount Dawa (5,900 meters), located in the Nubra Valley region of Ladakh. These expeditions are primarily aimed at offering climbing opportunities to budding mountaineers from the organization, giving them a chance to hone their skills and gain valuable high-altitude climbing experience.
The Mount Samgyal and Mount Dawa expedition will be led by Everest summiteer Krishna Dhokale, with guidance and support from experienced climbers Ganesh More and Ashish Mane, also Everest summiteers from Giripremi. The team includes young climbers Akhil Katkar, Manoj Kulkarni, Amod Pachhapurkar, Shravan Kumar, Sameer Devre, Ronak Singh, Sahil Phadnis, Kaushal Gadre, Chintamani Godbole, and Advait Dev. A noteworthy aspect of this expedition is that the team will attempt the summit without assistance from Sherpas beyond base camp. All logistical responsibilities such as ferrying equipment, route fixing,
and decision-making will be independently managed by the team, instilling values of leadership, endurance, teamwork, and self-reliance.
Simultaneously, under the leadership of Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardee Umesh Zirpe, Giripremi has organized an ambitious expedition to Mount Meru in the Gangotri Glacier region. This attempt will be made via the extremely challenging East Ridge, a route that has never been climbed before. The climbing team for this expedition includes seasoned mountaineers Vivek Shivade, Varun Bhagwat, Nikunj Shah, Ronak Singh, Vinod Gosai, and Mingma Sherpa.
Mount Meru, located in the Garhwal Himalayas, is considered one of the most sacred and technically difficult peaks in India, frequently mentioned in ancient Indian scriptures. The East Ridge ascent demands extreme high-altitude rock climbing, negotiating falling rocks, vertical cliffs, deep gorges, and a treacherous approach to base camp. The team’s attempt to summit via this virgin route has generated widespread interest across the global mountaineering community. The Indian Army has also taken special note of this challenging endeavour.
The flag-off ceremony for both expeditions was held this evening at New English School, Tilak Road, Pune. The ceremonial flags were presented to the teams by Sheetal Teli-Ugale, Commissioner, Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Maharashtra, and Sunil Koparkar, Managing Director, IAC International Automotive India Pvt. Ltd. Also present on the occasion were Deepali Khairnar (Head of HR, IAC), Jayant Tulpule (President, Giripremi), Ushaprabha Page (Founder and Senior Mountaineer), Anand Palande, and several members of Giripremi.
Addressing the gathering, Sheetal Teli-Ugale extended her best wishes to both teams on behalf of the Maharashtra Government and advised the climbers to exercise utmost caution during their expeditions. She remarked that Giripremi’s Mount Meru mission will serve as a source of inspiration for young mountaineers across India. “This is not just an ascent—it symbolizes confidence, meticulous planning, and a spirit of doing something exceptional for the country,” she added. Industrialist
Sunil Koparkar also conveyed his heartfelt best wishes to both teams for the success of their expeditions.
