Archive · 31 Dec 2025
Kaamya Karthikeyan Becomes Youngest Indian to Ski to South Pole
Kaamya Karthikeyan is an 18-year-old girl who loves climbing mountains and going on big adventures.
She just became the youngest Indian and the second-youngest woman in the world to ski all the way to the South Pole.
That's a really cold and hard place to go, with temperatures as low as -30 degrees!
Kaamya had to walk about 115 kilometers while pulling a sled with all her stuff.
She's already climbed the tallest mountains on all seven continents, which is called the Seven Summits Challenge.
Now, she's trying to finish something called the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which means she also wants to ski to the North Pole.
Her parents are proud of her, and even the Indian Navy congratulated her.
She's won big awards for her adventures too!
Kaamya Karthikeyan, 18, became the youngest Indian and second-youngest woman to ski to the South Pole.
She trekked approximately 115 kilometers in brutal -30 degree weather, dragging a sled with her expedition gear.
Karthikeyan is on a quest to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which includes climbing the Seven Summits and skiing to both poles.
She has already completed the Seven Summits Challenge at the age of 17, becoming the youngest Indian to do so.
Karthikeyan received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2021, the highest civilian honor for Indian citizens under 18.
- Who
- Kaamya Karthikeyan, 18-year-old mountaineer and daughter of an Indian Navy officer
- What
- Became the youngest Indian and second-youngest woman to ski to the South Pole
- When
- Reached the South Pole on December 27, 2025
- Where
- South Pole, Antarctica
- Why
- Part of her quest to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which includes climbing the Seven Summits and skiing to both poles
- Age
- 18
- Distance Covered
- 115 kilometers
- Temperature
- -30 degrees Celsius
- Parents
- Commander S Karthikeyan (Indian Navy officer) and Lavanya Karthikeyan (early childhood educator)
- School
- Navy Children School
- Awards
- Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (2021)
- Seven Summits Challenge
- Completed in 2024 at age 17
- Explorer’s Grand Slam
- In progress, North Pole remains