NewzVille Desk
In a remarkable achievement, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) successfully scaled Mt. Makalu, the world’s fifth highest peak—on 19 April 2025, marking a first-ever ascent by any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). The altitude of Mt. Makalu is 8485 metre.
The International Mountaineering Expedition to Mt. Makalu and Mt. Annapurna (8,091 m), flagged off from ITBP HQ, New Delhi on 21 March 2025. Both the summits attempted, were the first of its kind in ITBP history, adding to the challenge and legacy of this mission. Mount Makalu and Mount Annapurna are in Nepal.
Led by Anoop Kumar Negi, DC/GD, with Nihas Suresh, DC/GD as Deputy Leader, the 12 member team was divided into two groups of six climbers each. The Makalu team achieved an 83% success rate, with five climbers reaching the summit at approximately 08:15 hrs on 19 April 2025. The five climbers are AC Sanjay Kumar, HC Sonam Stobdan, HC Pradeep Panwar, HC Bahadur Chand, CT Vimal Kumar
The Annapurna team faced extreme weather, including a blizzard and whiteout conditions, and made a courageous push up to 7,940 meters, just 150 meters below the summit, before making a safe and responsible retreat on the same day at 1445 hrs.
Reinforcing its environmental commitment under the “Clean Himalaya – Save Glacier” campaign, the team collected 150 kg of non-biodegradable waste from higher camps during the expedition.
With this summit, ITBP has now successfully scaled six of the world’s 14 which are 8000 metres, further cementing its leadership in Indian high-altitude mountaineering. The Force has to date conquered 229 peaks, including Mt. Everest, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt. Lhotse, and Mt. Manaslu, having summited Everest five times.
This expedition stands as a milestone in ITBP’s mountaineering legacy, showcasing courage, discipline, unmatched expertise in the harshest of conditions, and of course commitment to save the Himalaya.
