OUR TEAM
Apaar Mahajan
Founder
A Mechanical Engineer and an Oxford University graduate, Apaar has been keen on manufacturing climbing equipment ever since his first experience with Alpine terrain at the age of 12. An engineering background has taught him to question what is already established and experiment with new materials. Other than that, having a factory with state of the art manufacturing facilities has allowed him to put his ideas to trials. He has done basic Mountaineering Course from NIM, Uttarkashi and Advanced Mountaineering Course in Chamonix, France
Sohan Pavuluri
Director –Sales and Marketing
Sohan has over 20 years of experience in Finance operations, and Sales & Marketing; last fifteen years of which he was at General Electric Company in various FP&A roles. After a long stint with GE in the US, he moved back to India in 2008, and since then he has been influencing the outdoors landscape around Bangalore; as the founder of Bangalore Climbing Initiatives which has helped reinvigorate the outdoors climbing scene around Bangalore, has personally established over 50 climbing routes around Bangalore, and has written the guide book to Rock Climbing around Bangalore.
Mariko Obikawa
Quality Advisor
Although a Mountain Guide in Japan, Mariko has spent most of her time climbing in Himalayas. Her passion for mountaineering is very obvious but it is her attention to detail and experience of climbing that makes her an asset for us. Given her previous background of working in large-size Japanese corporations, she is difficult to please and this works to our advantage because anything less than perfect does not comply with her standards. When in Japan, she also works as a Ski Patrol in Ski Resorts whilst testing our products.
GIPFEL CHAMPIONS
Aravind Selvam, India
Champion
Aravind started climbing during late 2014 in Chennai, where the climbing community roughly comprised of five climbers at the time. So he sought his inspiration from Alex Honnold’s videos on YouTube. He would wake up at 4 am to climb and train in Mahabalipuram, 50 kms outside of the city, and log back into work by 9 am. Since then he has traveled all over the country, to Thailand and Laos in search of challenging climbing routes.
He loves crack/off width climbing, and aims to be a better trad climber. His finest achievement is one of the hardest Trad routes in India, that is currently graded at 7c+/8a, called ‘Be Water My Friend’, and is located outside of Bangalore.
Gowri Varanashi
Champion
Gowri is a remarkable climber whose passion for bouldering shines brightly in Bangalore, Hampi, and Sethan. As a co-founder of Climb Like a Woman (CLAW), she plays a pivotal role in organizing bouldering events throughout India, empowering women in the climbing community. Furthermore, her initiative, Wilderness Ways, engages young minds with the beauty of nature, from flora to fauna. Gowri stands as a beacon of leadership and inspiration for all.