The Unlikely Ascent of a Valjevo Engineer

What do you do when the clock strikes 64? You retire? You nap? Dragan Pantelić from Valjevo did something else entirely. He climbed Mount Damavand, the highest volcanic peak in Asia, standing at a staggering 5,610 meters. And here is the kicker: he summited just 20 days after recovering from coronavirus. This is not a fairy tale. This is raw, unfiltered grit from a man who started his hiking career at 54.

Pantelić, an engineer by trade, looks decades younger than his birth year of 1962. Why start climbing in his fifties? Because sitting in an office "kills," as he puts it. His journey began with childhood walks as a "student pedestrian" in his hometown of Bačevci. By 2016, he dragged 35 "office rats" up Rtanj Mountain (1,565 m). That trip was the spark. It turned a casual walker into a high-altitude conqueror.

From Triglav to the Roof of Asia

He joined the local "Magleš" mountaineering club and soon faced his first real test: Mount Triglav in Slovenia. At 2,864 meters, Pantelić had no gear, just a regular jacket and sweatpants. "I thought, what have I gotten myself into?" he recalls. But he didn’t quit. He learned that climbing isn’t about equipment; it’s about the head. That mindset carried him through peaks across Europe, often as the oldest, sometimes twice the age of his peers.

Then came Iran. Mount Damavand. The ultimate boss fight. At 64, with lungs still healing from the virus, he attacked the slopes. The altitude hit hard. The cold bit deep. But Pantelić pushed through. Today, he remains a guide and educator, proving that age is just a number. He promotes hiking among youth, organizing tours for kids and adults alike. The man who started at 54 is still climbing at 64. What will he do next? The mountains are waiting.