Summiting Mount Everest: -40 degrees and Thrilling

Vikram Sahney SM '05, MBA '05 started getting serious about climbing in 2002, when he took a six-day glacier mountaineering course. He did his "first respectable climb," summiting 14,411-foot Mount Rainier, while doing his MIT internship in Seattle in 2004. In May, he reached the ultimate summit— Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain at 29,035 feet.

"I think the best thing about mountain climbing is that is gives me perspective on daily life," said Sahney, who works as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Co. in Seattle.

Sahney earned his degrees in an MIT program designed for manufacturing professionals. Created in 1988 as Leaders for Manufacturing, the program was renamed Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) in June. LGO students earn two degrees in two years: either master's in management and a second master's in an engineering field.

See the view from Mount Everest in a movie clip by Val Hovland ‘98, SM ‘98, who completed the climb this spring.