A New Beginning...

I am Ujwal and this is my mountaineering story. Let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself. Before I started mountaineering, I pursued and still have a successful career in tech and I found it to be very fulfilling. I also have 30 years of experience in martial arts, and I am an instructor in the art. At that point in my life, I was focused on my career and I had no inclination to pursue hiking or mountain climbing. However, life is full of twists and turns and several crises came my way. I was 50 and at this juncture in my life, an existential question began to surface within me: “Who am I?” I was on a quest to find my true calling, and I found the mountains.

Despite being in good shape due to my martial arts experience, I quickly found out that was not enough, and I needed a lot more training. But the results were worth it, and after several months of rigorous training, I was able to do my very first technical climb of Mt Shuksan in Washington, followed by Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I have climbed the peaks of Yosemite numerous times, Monte Rosa in the Alps in a complete blizzard and completed a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon in less than 11 hours. In 2023, I hiked to Everest base camp on my first trip to Nepal. I have attempted to summit Mount Shasta a total of six times and was successful twice. I have also successfully summited Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental US. Apart from this, I also do ice climbing and rock climbing which are essential skills for mountaineering.

One Step At a Time...

Mountaineering may seem like a daunting sport, and it undoubtedly poses numerous challenges. I have had my fair share of setbacks, but I persevered and was able to rediscover myself. I was once a person who had never hiked; I went from that to climbing several mountains. Here is a fun fact: I climbed up Mount Diablo twice in a day! It is my sincere hope that this serves as an inspiration for everyone who is contemplating mountaineering. It is a transformative and meditative experience which can bring immense happiness and is very achievable. My internal compass led me to my true north, if this resonates with you, come join me on this journey!