Meet the first Indian woman to climb 8,000m plus peaks

Mountaineer Priyanka Mohite from Satara, Maharashtra, has become the first Indian woman to climb five 8,000m-plus peaks. The 29-year-old, who was previously awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2020 by President Ram Nath Kovind, achieved this feat after conquering Mount Kanchenjunga on May 5 (which is 8,586m above sea level).

She took to Instagram to share a series of photos from her incredible feat, holding the Indian flag with the caption, “The breathtaking moment holding the tricoloured flag on the Indians highest peak and world’s third highest — Mt. Kanchenjunga 8,586 M (sic).”

The climb was a tribute to Covid-19 warriors, as she further wrote, “Dedicated this climb to all the frontline warriors of this pandemic... Also a big thanks to my all sponsors and supporters who believed me.” Her victory also earned her plenty of praises on social media, including from actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who wished Mohite and said, “Congratulations to my namesake”. Reacting to it, Mohite says, “My friends sent me the screenshot of her post to me, and it was very surprising. She’s so positive and encouraging. It was a proud feeling to be acknowledged [by her].”

Mohite, who has also bagged the title of the first Indian woman to climb the 10th highest mountain peak, Mt Annapurna, feels that more than physical strength, it’s the mental challenges that one needs to overcome during a climb. “We need both physical and mental training. We have to constantly remind ourselves there are a few more steps ahead. Apart from checking the weather and mountain conditions, most important is to listen to our body. If our body doesn’t allow us to move ahead, we tell ourselves, ‘mountain will be there, you have to head back home’,” she says, revealing that it was one of the toughest, longest, strenuous climb she has ever done before.

Talking about the preparation that goes behind keeping herself fit, she says, “When gyms reopened, I had to put in a lot of effort and hard work. I start my day at 5am, as I go for running for an hour. Then, during the day, I am at work from 8am to 5pm. After coming back home, evenings are again dedicated to intense training.”

It is Mohite’s passion that keeps her going ever since she started practising at the Sahyadri range as a teenager. The mountaineer, who works at a pharmaceutical company in Bengaluru, says, “Although, it is difficult to find sponsorships and I have to juggle between my work, personal life and training, but this is my passion. I find peace and happiness in it.”

And from now, the journey for the mountaineer is only onward and upward for her, as she’s geared up to conquer more heights. “I will rest and recover for sometime at home, and then again start with my training. My target now is to climb the next two 8,000m peaks, which are Dhaulagiri and Manaslu,” says Mohite, who scaled Mount Everest back in 2013.