Mindaugas Šatkauskas : Lithuanian Mountaineer
Who Discovered Mountains at 37 Now Chases World’s Highest Peaks
Mindaugas Šatkauskas had never even hiked in Lithuania. Today, he stands as the first Lithuanian to climb both Everest and Lhotse within 24 hours, and he’s chasing one of mountaineering’s most exclusive achievements: summiting all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, located along the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It is one of the three Baltic states.Lithuania does not have true mountains like those found in countries such as Switzerland or Nepal. Its landscape is mostly flat or gently rolling, with low hills rather than high peaks.
Only about 50 people in the world have completed this feat. Šatkauskas, a 40-year-old entrepreneur from this flat Baltic nation, plans to join this elite group over the next two years.
He has already become the first Lithuanian to summit Everest+Lhotse, Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, and Makalu remarkable achievements for someone from a country where the highest point barely rises above sea level. His story is not one of lifelong preparation, but of an unexpected passion that ignited during a solo trip to Nepal in 2022.
An Unlikely Beginning
Šatkauskas describes his introduction to mountains as pure chance. At 37, he decided to do something completely outside his comfort zone: travel alone to Nepal to volunteer. He had never traveled solo before, never volunteered before, and certainly never hiked anywhere, not even in his home country of Lithuania.
“Nepal was a country from another planet,” he recalls of that first trip in February 2022. After his volunteer work, he planned to go hiking, settling on Annapurna Base Camp despite knowing nothing about mountains. The timing was terrible it was off-season, and the weather conditions were brutal.
With an amateur guide who seemed more interested in making money than safety, Šatkauskas found himself in a fierce storm. All he could think about was a 2014 disaster where more than 20 hikers died in a storm near Annapurna. “All I could think was that we would suffer the same fate,” he remembers. When they finally reached base camp alive, his first reaction was relief and a firm decision: “Thank you, I don’t want anything more to do with the mountains.”
At the time, he thought mountaineers were “complete freaks” he couldn’t understand. But something had been planted during that terrifying first experience.
The Mountain Fever Takes Hold
About a month after returning from Nepal, Šatkauskas found himself reading about mountains and watching mountaineering films. What he now calls “mountain fever” had an incubation period, but when it hit, it changed everything.
“I don’t know, it’s just that there is chemistry with the mountains,” he explains. “There is no explanation for that attraction.” This mysterious pull came at a perfect time in his life. Approaching 40, he wanted a big challenge, something significant to achieve before his milestone birthday.
In an act he now calls “irresponsible,” he set himself the goal of climbing Everest by age 40. This meant preparing for a spring 2024 expedition—giving himself less than two years to go from complete beginner to Everest climber.
Rapid Ascent
What followed was an extraordinarily compressed learning curve that would challenge even experienced mountaineers. Šatkauskas threw himself into preparation with the intensity of someone making up for lost time.
In November 2022, just months after his first disastrous hike, he attempted Ama Dablam, a 6,812-meter peak in Nepal that is definitely not for beginners. The mountain became his turning point. “This is definitely not a mountain for a beginner,” he admits. “It was really technically difficult. I can say that it was the most challenging experience for me so far, even compared to Everest or Lhotse.”
The steep slopes and technical rope work pushed him to his limits, but successfully climbing Ama Dablam gave him crucial confidence. His preparation continued with machine-like efficiency: Kilimanjaro in January 2023, two 6,000-meter peaks in Nepal in May 2023, and then Manaslu (8,163 meters) in September 2023 to test how his body handled the extreme altitude of eight kilometers above sea level.
The Double Triumph
In spring 2024, Šatkauskas achieved his goal, but not without drama. Just five days before his planned summit attempt on Everest, he developed a fever at base camp. The expedition doctor told him he needed to descend for treatment—at that altitude, his condition wouldn’t improve. “You don’t know whether you will be able to climb or not,” he remembers of the psychological pressure.
But he recovered in time and not only summited Everest but also completed the challenging Everest-Lhotse double within 24 hours, becoming the first Lithuanian to achieve this feat. “I would say I felt a kind of euphoria,” he describes reaching Everest’s summit. “When you get to the top, you’re tired, you realize that you still have to go down, so there is that fear.”
The Next Chapter: Chasing 14 Peaks
His time in Nepal, particularly with members of the 14 Peaks Expedition agency, exposed him to mountaineers who had completed the full set of 8,000-meter peaks.
“My ambition and appetite for mountains grew in that environment,” he explains. “Those people expanded my perception.”
After Everest, he realized he couldn’t live without a big dream. “So, the question automatically came up what next? And then it occurred to me that I had already climbed three peaks above 8,000 meters. So, why not try another 11?”
His planned route starts with Annapurna, the mountain with the worst fatality statistics of all the 8,000-meter peaks even worse than the notorious K2, with a death rate around 30 percent. Then Makalu, Kanchenjunga, possibly Nanga Parbat in summer, and Dhaulagiri in autumn.
Philosophy of Fear and Dreams
Šatkauskas has developed a clear philosophy about fear and ambition that drives his remarkable journey. “People tell me that I’m fearless. I don’t agree. I’m really scared, but I accept the fear,” he says. “After all, bravery isn’t about not being afraid, it’s about being afraid but going anyway.”
For him, fear and mountains go hand in hand, but this doesn’t diminish his attraction to them. Instead, he sees fear as a necessary component of meaningful goals. “What is the dream if it’s not big and not a bit scary? The mountains give you that.”
His approach to life has been transformed by mountaineering. “It’s good to live when you have a big goal and a dream. It’s what drives me, it’s what makes life so interesting.” This philosophy extends beyond climbing he operates on the principle that “the best things in life happen outside your comfort zone.”
The Cost of Dreams
Even his family relationships have been affected by his new passion. His girlfriend, who is also a mountaineer, understands and supports him but isn’t enthusiastic about him starting his 14-peak challenge with the dangerous Annapurna.
Other family members, less aware of the risks, aren’t entirely happy about his pursuits, though he doesn’t tell them too much about the dangers.
Looking Forward
With his current goals, Šatkauskas jokes about what might come after completing all 14 peaks: “I jokingly say that I wanted to climb Everest by 40, so maybe it would be good to land on the moon by 50.” For now, though, he’s focused on the monumental task ahead.
From a businessman who had never hiked to a mountaineer chasing one of the sport’s most exclusive achievements, Šatkauskas embodies the power of unexpected passion and the willingness to accept fear in pursuit of extraordinary dreams. His story proves that sometimes the most remarkable journeys begin with a single, terrifying step outside your comfort zone.
