Kolkata mountaineer sets off for North Pole

KOLKATA: A mountaineer from Kolkata, who is the youngest in the world to have scaled the highest peaks in seven continents and also the highest volcanoes in each of them, is now preparing to conquer the North Pole. That will complete the coveted Three Pole Challenge and Explorer's Grand Slam.
"It is all about daring to dream big and chasing the dreams.If I can overcome the health challenge and achieve my dreams, so can everyone," said the mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta.
He sets off for the North Pole last degree ski expedition from Longyearbyen, a remote village in Norway on April 3. He needs to pull the sled of 45kg-50kg over an aerial distance of 111km over 10 days through brutal cold, pressure ridges and drifting ice. He will have stunning lights and team spirit for the company.
He was supposed to attempt the North Pole in 2019 but the expedition was cancelled because of political issues between Russia and Ukraine. Then Covid happened and all expeditions in 2020 and 2021 sessions got cancelled. In 2022, the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine pushed it back again.
Born in Kolkata, Siddhanta grew up in Berhampore. He was detected with asthma in Class II. The life changing moment came in 2001 when during a college trip to Sikkim, he had an asthma attack and realised he did not have the inhaler. He survived and vowed to get over the inhaler dependence by reconditioning his body. On the 2016 Everest expedition, he did not even carry it in the emergency medical kit.