Kolkata: In a rare feat of high-altitude mountaineering, a joint team of Indian and Argentine Army personnel scaled Mount Kamet (25,446 ft/7,756m) without supplemental oxygen. A total of 15 mountaineers from the 35-member team reached the summit on Sept 21.The team had spent several months preparing for the oxygen-free ascent. The 10 Argentine climbers faced an additional challenge, as none had previously climbed above 6,900m.“We started with endurance training, which prepares the body to utilise oxygen more efficiently. The challenge is to perform highly demanding tasks while expending minimal energy. Even keeping the body warm, especially at night, is extremely difficult. We acclimatised for more than a month to prepare for the conditions,” said Chirag Chatterjee, who led the expedition. A lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army, Chatterjee is a resident of Naihati and had scaled Mount Everest last year.The team encountered heavy snowfall in the initial stages of the expedition. “We were a large team and faced heavy snowfall initially. After reaching Camp II, eight of us, including three Argentinians, moved ahead, while the rest returned to base camp. We fixed ropes and established camps,” Chatterjee said.However, deteriorating weather forced the climbers to leave their equipment at the summit camp and descend. While waiting for conditions to improve, the team scaled Mount Abi Gamin (7,355m).“The real challenge began when we approached the 7,000m mark. We spent the night without supplemental oxygen and prepared for the summit push the following day. Cold winds constantly lowered my body temperature. We monitored our oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter, which showed an average SpO2 level of 50%,” Chatterjee recounted.After the weather improved, the team resumed its ascent and successfully reached the summit of Mount Kamet on Sept 21.
