‘Mountaineering Is the Mother of Adventure Sports’: Umesh Zirpe’s Message to Youth at SPPU
Pune, 4th September 2026: The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) NCC Unit, in association with the Board of Students’ Development, organised a guest lecture by renowned mountaineer Umesh Zirpe to mark National Sports Day. NCC cadets and students enrolled in the Earn and Learn Scheme attended the session.
Zirpe, founder and director of the Guardian Giripremi Institute of Mountaineering (GGIM), has more than four decades of experience in mountaineering. He is the first Indian to lead eight successful expeditions to peaks above 8,000 metres, including Mount Everest, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga.
Under his leadership, GGIM has trained more than 12,500 mountaineers, with 16 of them going on to summit peaks above 8,000 metres.
Addressing the gathering, Zirpe described mountaineering as the “mother of adventure sports” and said the discipline develops not only physical strength but also mental resilience. He said that in mountaineering, climbers ultimately compete with themselves.
He also spoke about the challenges of high-altitude expeditions, particularly climbs of Mount Everest, including the South Col route, the dangers of the “Death Zone” and the sharp decline in oxygen levels at extreme altitudes.
A key focus of the lecture was encouraging young people to take up mountaineering and other adventure sports. While acknowledging the risks involved, Zirpe said proper guidance and training could help participants safely pursue the sport and use it as an opportunity for personal growth.
He also emphasised the need to encourage greater participation of women in mountaineering and highlighted the sport as a potential career opportunity.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Lt. Ashish Sangle.
