Mountaineering is the sport or hobby or profession of walking, hiking and climbing up mountains. It is also sometimes known as alpinism, particularly in Europe. It may be said to consist of two main aspects, rock-craft and snow-craft, depending on whether the route chosen is over rock or over snow and ice. Both require great gymnastic and technical ability, but experience is also very important part of the latter. Training in these areas for several months enhances a person's abilities and increases their chances for survival while climbing.

Tenzing Norgay's ascent of Everest (8848 m/29,028 ft) along with Edmund Hillary, in 1953 provided the impetus to mountaineering as an organized sport in India, and it was to commemorate this singular success that the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) was founded in Darjeeling with the personal initiative of Late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. The Institute was established on 4th November 1954, which was then the hub center of all mountaineering activities in India.

After 1953 many mountaineers from India and abroad have climbed Mount Everest successfully.

Here an effort is made to present the autographs of all such Indian and Foreign mountaineers who have climbed Mount Everest as a sport or scientific pursuit.