Surendra Shelke

I am a mountaineer by heart and with 22 years of experience in mountaineering and rock climbing, I have successfully been able to make my passion into my profession!
I believe that before conquering one’s goals, it is important to possess the skills required for doing the same. Thus I have undertaken various courses pertaining to mountaineering from reputed institutes across various categories such as Adventure, Advance, Search and Rescue and even Alpine course. As expected, these have enabled me to not only acquire the techniques and aptitude to best the mountaineering challenges but has also provided me with the leadership and organizational skills which are very important while practicing such activities. These courses have enabled me to experience various expeditions across the Himalayas such as on the Mt. Parvati Prabat, Mt. Amadablam to name a few, and using this knowledge I have also been climb to the very summit of Mt. Kedardome, Mt. Nehru Peak Mt. Rudugaira and Mt. DazoJongo. Such experiences have given me memories of a lifetime which I will cherish for days to come.
Knowing that I have the skills and knowledge about my passion, I do not want to focus all my energy on my individual goals and instead drive them towards the promotion of mountaineering and sport climbing in the society. The same reason drove me towards the foundation of Pimpri Chinchwad Mountaineering Association (PCMA), which focusses on the overall development of sport climbers, and the Safe Climbing Initiative (SCI), which is among the very few organisations which focus on climbing safety and have successfully completed re-bolting projects in various sites. I also focus my energy on organising various events for my fellow sport climber so as to provide them the opportunity to realise their talents!
Apart from this field, being a Treasures of the Indian Herpetological Society has allowed me to convert my concern about the conservation of wildlife into action by enabling me to partake in Animal Rescue and Release operations. This allowed me to contribute to a cause which I firmly believe in, and I will continue to do so till a long time to come.