Satish Chander Sharma

Satish Chander Sharma, SC, VSM, is a retired Indian Army officer and mountaineer. He served with the Dogra Regiment and received the Shaurya Chakra and the Vishisht Seva Medal. He received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for lifetime achievement for the year 2014. Sharma has led Indian Army and National Cadet Corps mountaineering expeditions. Independent news and mountaineering sources have recorded his role in climbing expeditions to Kangchenjunga, Mount Everest, Kamet and the Jogin massif.

Military career

Official records identify Sharma as a lieutenant colonel in the Dogra Regiment when he received the Shaurya Chakra in 2002.

In 2002, Sharma led the Indian Army expedition to Annapurna I. The Press Information Bureau reported that four Indian Army climbers and three Sherpas reached the summit on 6 May 2002, and that the Chief of the Army Staff commended Sharma and the team after the climb. Sharma also wrote an expedition account for The Himalayan Journal.

In 2004, Sharma led an Indian Army expedition to Kangchenjunga. The Times of India reported that the expedition, led by Lieutenant Colonel S. C. Sharma, reached the summit on 10 October 2004 from the southwest face of the mountain.

In 2012, Sharma led the National Cadet Corps pre-Everest expedition to Kamet. The Press Information Bureau reported that the expedition was part of the preparation for the NCC Everest expedition planned for 2013 and included Sharma as team leader.

In 2013, Sharma led the first NCC expedition to Mount Everest. The New Indian Express reported that the expedition team was led by Col. S. C. Sharma and had trained at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling before undertaking pre-Everest expeditions to Deo Tibba and Kamet. The Times of India also reported the NCC Everest ascent and identified Sharma as the team leader.

Tiranga Mountain Rescue

After retiring from the Indian Army, Sharma became associated with Tiranga Mountain Rescue Foundation. In 2024, SSBCRACK reported that a Tiranga Mountain Rescue delegation that met Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was led by founder Hemant Sachdev and Director Col. S. C. Sharma.

Tiranga Mountain Rescue is a non-profit organisation affiliated with the Indian Army since 2016. The Ministry of Defence has described its work as avalanche rescue support and mountain-craft training for Indian Army personnel in snow-bound and high-altitude areas.

Awards and honours

Shaurya Chakra