Meet Kaamya Karthikeyan: 17-year-old record-breaker and youngest to conquer all 7 Summits

The 17-year-old mountaineering prodigy Kaamya Karthikeyan, whose charming smile is so very endearing, is scaling heights that even the fittest of ‘elders’ would be found wanting.

The newest sensation, Kaamya Karthikeyan, has become the youngest person in the world to conquer the highest peaks in all seven continents. The icing on the cake came when she unfurled the national tricolour atop the highest peak of Antarctica on December 24, 2024. She had touched Mt Everest (Asia) pinnacle in May 2024 from the Nepal side.

Talking to LiveMint on her way from Gulmarg (where she was on training) to Delhi to attend the ‘At-Home’ with the President on Republic Day, Kaamya Karthikeyan informs, “I’m an NCC cadet. It is truly an honour… and I hope to have an interesting and inspiring interaction with our Hon’ble President.”

Kaamya, a class XII student of the Navy Children School, Mumbai, says, “I scaled both these peaks with my dad beside me. I think it was really special to have climbed these peaks with my parents. My mom climbed three of the seven summits with me, while my dad and I climbed the others together. There cannot be better climbing partners for me.”

Call of the mountains

On the feeling after accomplishing the record seventh summit, she recalls, “I think, while nearing the Mt Vinson summit, I was just reflecting on the hard work we all had put in. I was thankful that the mountain allowed us to go atop. A momentous day!”

Braving the odds with grit

Detailing her latest climbs, Kaamya Karthikeyan says, “The climbs on Everest and Vinson were very different from one other in many ways. We spent almost two months on the mountain at Everest. The achievement marked the realisation of a seven-year-old dream.”

She adds, “The expedition was a smooth affair for the most part, but a day before our summit, we faced extremely bad weather. As a result, 250 of the approximately 300 people climbing that day returned to the previous camp. But we braved through it and finally reached the summit.”

Calling Mt Vinson’s ascent climb “very special”, she says, “It’s a privilege just to get to stand on the white continent of Antarctica. It was the best way to finish the 7 Summits challenge.”

Her timeline makes for an inspiring adventure in itself.

By the age of 11, Kaamya Karthikeyan had summited Mt Kosciusko (7,310 ft), the highest peak in Australia, on October 23, 2018; became the second youngest girl in Asia to summit Mt Kilimanjaro (18,652 ft) in 2017, and the youngest girl in the world to ski down the summit of Mt Elbrus (18,510 ft) on June 18, 2018. Apart from this, in 2017, she trekked the Everest Base Camp (17,600 ft) in Nepal and climbed Mt Stok Kangri (20,082 ft) in Leh.

Explorers’ Grand Slam beckons

Kaamya now aims to become the youngest person in the world to complete the Explorers’ Grand Slam—completing the seven summits and ski traverse to both the North and South Poles.

Daughter of naval Commander Sundaram Karthikeyan and Lavanya, she has aptly named it ‘Mission Sahas’. She plans to accomplish both the remaining challenges in April and December 2025.

Kaamya says, “The current record is held by a 20-year-old (Japanese climber, Marin Minamiya). And I’m just 17 right now.”

A disciplined training regimen

Like always, Kaamya’s training will be as intense for her upcoming trip. Kaamya Karthikeyan explains, “We usually train at least two to three hours on a weekday and longer hours during the weekend. We focus on long-distance running and climbing stairs.”

Record-breaking spree

Fresh from her recent summits, Kaamya Karthikeyan, the recipient of the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar, the highest award for Under-18 Indians, says, “Mountaineering has never been about breaking records for me. That’s something that has happened along the way.”

Balancing training and studies

It is like walking a tightrope for Kaamya, who aspires to be a computer engineer. She says, “I study for a few hours before my training and am back at the study table after training for six hours. Realistically speaking, there’s not much pressure on me right now.”

Her father, her inspiration

Kaamya was inspired by her father’s mountaineering activities and started trekking in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) as a three-year-old. She says, “The beauty of the Sahyadris instilled a profound love for nature. I began treasuring the patterns of butterflies and leaves rather than expensive toys and clothes. I was hooked on Mother Nature forever.”

Beyond mountaineering

Kaamya Karthikeyan is versatile. She does well in academics; is a national-level public debater and speaker; passed Grade 5 western piano exams and Grade 2 guitar from the Trinity School of Music; performs Bharatanatyam on stage and has learned Carnatic vocals.

Favourite OTT movie

“I’ve been pretty out of touch since we were in Antarctica almost all through December. The one movie I watched immediately on returning was Amaran and I absolutely loved it!”

Kaamya loves animated movies and says she will watch Moana 2 soon after her Boards!

Pursuing passions

It is through her herculean adventures that Kaamya Karthikeyan wishes to “inspire a multitude of children to pursue their dreams and encourage an outdoor way of healthy life. I just want to tell them to do what they love despite the challenges that await them. Keep pursuing, and you’ll eventually reach your summit.”

The gutsy young girl with a steely resolve, Kaamya Karthikeyan, sums up with a poetic finish by saying, “Mountains show us how small we are. Each time I climb, I get stronger, just like the mountain itself.”