Jena becomes first Indian to traverse Mount Elbrus

Mountaineer Ganesh Chandra Jena, the first male from Odisha to conquer Mount Everest, added another feather to his cap by successfully scaling Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, earlier on July 31.

Leading a six-member team, 43-year-old Jena reached the top of the 5,642 meter high mountain at 8.45 am on July 31 and became the third mountaineer from the state to achieve the feat after Devidutta Panda and Jogabyasa Bhoi.

An employee of Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Jena, however, became the first Indian to complete the traverse expedition of Mount Elbrus by climbing through one route and coming down by another. He had started his expedition from Moscow in Russia on July 26.