UP ATS commando Ashish Dixit successfully scales Mt. Elbrus in Russia

Ashish Dixit became the first commando of Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) to scale Mount Elbrus, located in the western parts of Russia's Caucasus Mountains. Dixit managed to hoist the Indian tricolour at the highest peak of Europe, set at an altitude of 5,692 metres on August 15 despite adverse weather conditions. Part of the Special Police Operations team of Uttar Pradesh ATS, he had earlier scaled Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, in 2020.

Withstanding -20°C temperature with winds blowing above 60 km/hr

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The commando began the Elbrus trek on the night of August 11, withstanding -20°C temperature with winds blowing above 60 km/hr and consequently, he was at the peak by 15 August. After hoisting the national flag and police flag at the top, it took him 2 days to trek back to the base. He was accompanied by 3 other policemen from other states as well, however, they couldn't complete the trek due to ill health and unfavourable weather.

"It requires grit and passion to carry yourself in inclement weather conditions," he added. Ashish had received training for trekking during his time at NCC and he had gradually started with Indian peaks in Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir.

Mount Aconcagua next on the list

Having conquered Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus, Dixit, who hails from Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh, now aims at climbing the highest peak in South America- Mount Aconcagua. Further, he wants to complete the task of climbing the 'seven summits', consisting of the highest point on each of the seven continents. He has also been honoured for his excellence by the Director-General of Police (Uttar Pradesh), back in 2020.