Arpita Patra says Ojos del Salado, located deep in the Atacama Desert, was by far the most challenging climb she has undertaken. | Photo Credit: Photo File
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professor scaled Nevado Ojos del Salado, the world’s highest volcanic peak and Chile’s highest mountain.
Arpita Patra, a professor at IISc’s Department of Computer Science and Automation, scaled Nevada Ojos del Salado, which is 6,893 meters, on March 6, becoming the second Indian woman to achieve the feat.
Challenging climb
Professor Patra said Ojos del Salado, located deep in the Atacama desert, was by far the most challenging climb she had undertaken.
“The expedition took me to almost 7,000 meters, the highest altitude I have ever reached. The conditions were extremely cold and harsh. The climb was long and grueling, culminating in technical rock climbing in the last 50 meters before the summit. With this climb, I became the second Indian woman to reach the summit,” Prof. Patra said.
She has previously climbed the highest volcanic peaks of four continents, which are Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters) in Africa, Elbrus (5,642 meters) in Europe, Giluwe (4,367 meters) in Oceania and Pico de Orizaba (5,636 meters) in North America.
“This climb is a significant milestone in my mountaineering journey. I have climbed the highest volcanic peaks of five continents so far and when I climbed Mount Giluwe in May 2025, I became the first Indian woman to reach the summit and also became the second Indian woman to scale Pico de Orizaba in October 2025,” she added.
Balancing
“I am not a full-time mountaineer. My primary professional role is that of a full professor at IISc. Balancing these two seemingly orthogonal pursuits, rigorous academic research and high-altitude mountaineering, has been both challenging and deeply fulfilling,” she said.
“On this journey, I was fortunate to be guided by Satyarup Siddhanta, a renowned mountaineer who holds several records, including the Guinness Book of World Records,” she added.
Published – 10 March 2026 20:37 IST
