India, March 28 -- Anyone heading to the mountains for the first time usually meets their first reality check at the backpack. At the trailhead, there is always someone carrying half their house in the name of "just in case". Right beside them stands another trekker, realising, a little too late, that a basic base layer would have helped a lot.

Shreekant Dhumale has seen this scene play out countless times. The Indian expedition leader and founder of Sagarmatha Explorers spent 22 years in the corporate world before turning his focus to high-altitude expeditions. Since then, he has guided trekkers across iconic routes including Everest Base Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Elbrus, with a strong focus on training, fitness, and safety.

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