Mumbai's 18-yr-old Kaamya Karthikeyan becomes youngest Indian to reach South Pole

The Indian Navy said, 'Kaamya's extraordinary achievement is sure to inspire many of her generation to push beyond their boundaries.'

Mumbai: Mumbai girl Kaamya Karthikeyan scripted history yet again by becoming the youngest Indian and the second-youngest female in the world to ski to the South Pole.

Kaamya, 18-year-old mountaineering prodigy and an alumni of Navy Children School, is daughter of Commander S Karthikeyan, an Indian Navy officer and Lavanya Karthikeyan.

During the latest expedition, Kaamya braved harsh weather of - 30℃, gale force winds to cover approximately 60 Nautical Miles (nearly 115 km) on foot from 89º South, pulling a sled laden with her complete expedition load, to reach the South Pole on 27 December 2025.

She is on a quest to become the youngest person ever to accomplish the Explorers Grand Slam – an ultimate adventure to climb the highest peak on all seven continents and ski to both the poles.

She had earlier completed the Seven Summits Challenge, including becoming the youngest Indian and second-youngest female in the world to climb Mt Everest from the Nepal side.

“Kaamya's extraordinary achievement is sure to inspire many of her generation to push beyond their boundaries,” the Indian Navy said.

In the last week of November, the expedition was fagged-off from the iconic Penguin Enclosure at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo (VJBBGZ) at Byculla in Mumbai by Municipal Commissioner & Administrator Bhushan Gagrani.

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.