Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal (born 26 December 1975) is a serving Indian Army officer and a mountaineer. He has specialisation in search and rescue missions and serves as the director of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Jamwal has participated in over 70 mountaineering expeditions and in every continent. He currently holds several achievements to his credit, including one world record, two Asian records, and four Indian records.
Early life and education Ranveer Singh Jamwal was born on 26 December 1975 in Badhori, Samba district, Jammu and Kashmir, into a military family. His father, Onkar Singh, served as a Havildar in the Indian Army. He completed his schooling at Army School, Ratnuchak, before qualifying the Army Cadet College (ACC) examination and joining the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, in 1998.
In 2003, Jamwal completed all four skiing and mountaineering courses at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), Gulmarg. He later specialised in search and rescue operations at the Swiss Mountain School, Andermatt, in 2007.
Mountaineering achievements Jamwal became involved in outdoor adventure activities such as trekking, white-water rafting, and cycling in 1999. After completing mountaineering and skiing courses, he was appointed as an instructor at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in 2006. In 2007, he climbed Mount Machoi (5,658 metres), marking the beginning of his mountaineering career.
Seven Summits Continent Peak Date Africa Mount Kilimanjaro 23 October 2010 Asia Mount Everest 25 May 2012, 19 May 2013, 19 May 2016 South America Aconcagua 1 January 2013 Europe Mount Elbrus 26 June 2014 Australia Carstensz Pyramid 9 October 2015 North America Denali 20 June 2017 Antarctica Vinson Massif 4 January 2019
Mount Everest expeditions
2012: Served as Deputy Leader of the Indian Army Everest Expedition, during which seven women officers summited Mount Everest, setting a national record. 2013: Led the Indo-Nepal Everest Expedition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest. All 20 members of the team successfully summited. 2015: Led the Indian contingent, but the expedition was called off due to the Nepal earthquake. The team conducted rescue operations at Everest Base Camp. 2016: Led a team that had attempted Everest in 2015, successfully guiding all 14 members to the summit.
Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission
In 2022, Jamwal led the Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission, an initiative in which a team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) scaled the highest peaks of all 28 Indian states. This made him the first person to accomplish this feat.
Cycling expeditions In 2022, Jamwal led a seven-member cycling team that covered 1,100 km across all seven Northeastern states of India, becoming the first team to achieve this.
In February 2023, he led an expedition that cycled 5,374 km across six Southeast Asian nations in 37 days, setting new Asian and Indian records.
Rescue operations Jamwal has participated in several high-altitude rescue operations, including:
Mount Nanda Devi East (2007) Mount Chaukhamba (2008) Mount Naini Post, Gurez Valley, Jammu and Kashmir (2009) Mount Kedar Dome (2012) Everest Base Camp (2015)
Awards and recognition Jamwal has received several military and civilian honours in recognition of his achievements in mountaineering:
Vishisht Seva Medal (2013) and Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal (2014) Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award (2013) Sher-e-Kashmir Award for Outstanding Sportsperson of Jammu and Kashmir (2016) Multiple Chief of Army Staff Commendation Cards (2010, 2012, 2017, 2019) Gold Medal for Excellence in Mountaineering from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (2018) Sena Medal (2022) MacGregor Medal (2024) for Operational Reconnaissance and Extreme Adventure Sports.
Gallery
References