How an Indian hiked to the South Pole to raise awareness about mental health

For the next few days, he battled on until conditions improved. And on 11 January, he became the first Indian to reach the South Pole after covering 1,132km in 50 days and 30 minutes.

“On some days, it was just about being in the moment, grateful for the opportunity. There were no living beings or microorganisms around me. And a stunning landscape to soak in at all times. Other times, you were battling the elements," he says.

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While growing up in Hyderabad, Gogineni enjoyed the odd game of football, cricket and volleyball with friends. It wasn’t until he moved to the US for higher studies, that he discovered the world of endurance sports. He participated in the Los Angeles Marathon in 2007 and soon, four of the World Marathon Majors, clocking a personal best of 3 hours 32 minutes along the way.

Even as he settled into his work life as a financial analyst, his world came crashing down when his mother died by suicide in 2011. He looked for ways to deal with the grief. At a friend’s suggestion, he went on a hike to Mt. Whitney in California. In nature, he found the strength to come to terms with his loss. Here on, he took up every opportunity to climb mountains such as Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and Mt. Shasta, also taking private lessons to work on the technical aspect of mountaineering.

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 brought different challenges for Gogineni. An accident left him requiring three surgeries on his right hand; he wondered if he would ever climb again. Depression crept in, until he sought help to deal with it.“I shielded the reason for my mother’s death for many years. I just couldn’t open up to anybody. And suddenly during the pandemic, there was nowhere to hide," he says.

Yet again, he found respite in the outdoors. He resumed climbing in 2021, summiting his first 5,000m peak and then Denali (6,190m), the highest mountain in North America. The following year, he managed a solo climb up Aconcagua (6,961m), the highest mountain in South America, and then a double attempt on Everest and Lhotse in a little over 19 hours. He returned to Nepal in the spring of 2023 to summit Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri.

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But in between these climbs, Gogineni lost his cousin who too struggled with mental health. It was the moment he decided to be vocal about the issue through his efforts of endurance.

“People look at me as the guy who has climbed Everest, a happy person living the dream life. My respite was being in nature. Nobody saw my loneliness and mental health struggles once I was back. I felt better only once I decided to seek help. And I always wondered what might have been had I shared my journey with my cousin. It motivated me to be outspoken about my mental health through my expeditions," he says.

For the South Pole attempt, called Project Spandana (named after his cousin), Gogineni spent two weeks training at Baffin Island in Canada in February 2024. Two months later, he crossed Greenland unsupported over 29 days, a distance of 600km.

Back home, he took on an intense routine that started with physical therapy to strengthen his quads, knees and hamstring, and high interval training sessions. To gear up for solitude, Gogineni would spend a majority of the training hours on his own. And for the long days on his feet, he preferred a standing desk at work. He would squeeze in a long 16-24km run when possible and do strength training sessions at a gym. Resistance training with tyres also helped him gear up for the entire effort of dragging a sleigh with all the supplies.

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“The resistance would vary depending on the surface; some days it was road, other days grass or sand. I would also drag the tyre uphill and downhill to work different muscles," he says.

Much of his gear was sourced from Norway, including a custom-made fiberglass sleigh. His diet comprised dehydrated meals, cheese, butter, salami and high calories snacks like nuts, chips and gummies. On 22 November, Gogineni was dropped off at Hercules Inlet in Antarctica, a common starting point for South Pole expeditions.

“I knew folks who had been preparing for their attempt for 4-5 years, while I had a few months to gear up for it. My goal was to essentially take care of myself and get to the South Pole," he says.

The polar days during summer meant constant daylight. At the beginning, it was all about getting used to the conditions and tackling the uphill sections on the route. Gogineni also had to ensure that he set up camp in time for a 9.20pm call where he would report his daily progress to his tracker at Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions. While each day brought its own set of challenges, things weren’t easy in the confines of his tent either.

“Boiling water took a couple of hours, then you had to prepare dinner. I had time to rest during the early days, but as I started skiing for longer durations, it would get really late by the time I wrapped up. My favourite moment was when I zipped my tent to get away from the elements. What I dreaded most was shutting my eyes because each time I woke up, it felt like I had slept just a few minutes," he says.

As he moved further inland, the temperature dipped close to thirty degrees below zero. It was a different world from his time on the mountains, where there was enough sun on most days, the comfort of moving at his own pace, organised camps at various altitudes and a high altitude guide to keep him company.

With rations for just 54 days, he knew he had to make consistent progress while tackling high winds and whiteouts. Once he found his flow, he started covering around 30km during the 11-12 hours of skiing each day. Over the last week, he started encountering ‘sastrugi’—irregular snow formations that are constantly eroded by the wind.

“It’s a few inches to many feet. So I often had to climb up and down to get across the bigger ones. And in low visibility, I would hit my ski and fall. It was really painful towards the end of the expedition since my body was quite fatigued," he says.

With around 18km to go, Gogineni set off in anticipation of a strong finish. A few hours later, he noticed something irregular on the horizon—man-made structures and telescopes sticking out at the South Pole. He took a little break and sent out messages to the folks who had supported him on his journey. On the verge of finishing, he found himself wishing that the experience would never end.

“Each day, I was fighting to get to the finish line. But once it was in sight, I knew I was going to miss this lifestyle."

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.

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