Kaamya Karthikeyan sets off: South Pole expedition begins in Mumbai

Mumbai: Mumbai’s Kaamya Karthikeyan, an 18-year-old mountaineering prodigy and the youngest female in the world to summit the highest peak of all seven continents, has now set her eyes on becoming the youngest person in the world to complete the explorers’ Grand Slam - an ultimate adventure challenge to complete the seven summits and ski-traverse to both the North and South poles.

As the first step of her current endeavour, Kaamya is headed to the very bottom of the earth – The South Pole, and befittingly, her audacious expedition was fagged-off from the iconic Penguin Enclosure at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo (VJBBGZ) at Byculla in Mumbai.

The expedition was flagged off on Friday by Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, a fitness, travel and adventure enthusiast himself.

Kaamya is the daughter of Commander S Karthikeyan, an Indian Navy officer and is the youngest Indian and the second youngest girl in the world to summit Mt. Everest from the Nepal side at just 16 years of age.

She plans to accomplish the Explorers Grand Slam by April 2026 at just 18 years and nine months, bettering the current record held by a Japanese by more than two years.

With cadets of Maharashtra NCC Directorate and students of city schools in audience, Kaamya presented her journey till date and what lies ahead to the Commissioner, who subsequently lauded her endeavour and advised the young minds to follow their passion like Kaamya and make the country proud.

He was accompanied by Sheetal Gagrani, an avid trekker, who has been on many Himalayan treks herself.

Kaamya will be travelling to Punta Arenas in Chile, the last stop of civilization, from where a chartered flight will take the handful of extreme adventurers to Antarctica on December 18 and land on the Blue Ice Runway of Union Glacier.

The South Pole expedition team comprising of seven skiers will then take another five-hour flight across the white continent to reach 89 degree South, from where their 12-day expedition on foot will begin.

Kaamya will be covering a distance of 120 km, pulling a 60 kg sled with her entire expedition logistics, battling extreme cold and gale-force winds, before arriving at the South Pole.

This will leave Kaamya with just one more milestone to complete the Explorers Grand Slam – The North Pole.

Kaamya’s endeavour is poised at not just bringing unprecedented laurels to our country in adventure, but inspiring a whole generation of young Indians to follow their own passions.

The Explorer's Grand Slam is an adventurer's goal to reach the North Pole and South Pole, as well as climb the Seven Summits - Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson and Pancak Jaya/Kościuszko.