First Indian mom on the highest roof of the world


Premlata Agarwal, first 48 year old mom who saled Mt. Everest.
May 20, 2011. www.erewise.com
 
www.lifehack.org

Mount Everest Base Camp Map. www.tour-tibet.com

It is absolutely a challenging adventure  for an Indian mom, who had no training in mountaineering until she reached 37 years of age, to  have climbed  the world's highest peak  (29,029 ft.) at the age of 48 years. At this age most moms would rather prefer the comforts of hearth and home, taking care of elderly people and grand children than indulging in risky adventurous and challenging out-door sports. It requires sheer guts and firm commitment.

A native of Jharkhand state, India,  Premlata Agarwal (born 1963) at the age of  37, discovered her passion for climbing  after taking part in a hill climbing competition in Jamshedpur, India. She had her training  under  Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the summit  of Mount Everest in 1984. All along she had the support of her father Ramawtar Garg, a businessman and her husband  Vimal Agarwal, a senior journalist. The couple have two daughters, one of whom is married.


Premlata Agarwal receives the Padma Shri Award from President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. .witter.com
Backed by training,  she proved her courage and determination by taking part in some mountaineering expeditions -  Island Peak Expedition in Nepal (20,600 ft) in 2004,  the Karakoram Pass (18,300 ft) and Mt. Saltoro Kangri (20,150 ft) in 2006,  a 40-day  tough camel safari from Bhuj in Gujarat to the Wagah Border (Indo-Pak border) in Punjab.  Her feats,  as an elderly woman, have earned her a listing in the Limca Book of Records. Having gained necessary training in mountaineering such as climbing ice covered  vertical rock cliff, crossing  dangerous crevasses, etc., besides personal safety measures against hazards such as snow avalanches and snow storms under sub-zero conditions,  Premlata  wanted to try her mettle by scaling  the world's highest peak,  Mt. Everest.  Her age never stood in her way and  her passion for adventure overshot the inherent dangers in such difficult expedition.

more-sky.net/
The multinational mountaineering  team led by Steven Sherpa Dawa  was ready to  climb the summit and the preparations were on in the early months of 2011. The Indian contingent, besides Premlata, included  Sunita Singh, Narendar Singh, Pawan Grewal, Sushma and Vikas Kaushik. Ace climbers Rodrigo Raineri of Brazil and David Liano of Mexico accompanied them.

Prior to that expedition,  Premlata spent over a month,  climbing around Everest Base Camps to get used to the weather and did some climbing exercise at 20,300-feet-high Island Peak in the Himalayas.  On May 6, 2011 she began her ascend with the team and after reaching 22,000 feet,  she used supplemental oxygen to avoid fatigue and  steadily reached Camp 3 at 23,000 feet and Camp 4 at 26,000 feet. The  team leader  Dawa Steven Sherpa took an overnight trek to climb the summit and began their final assault  at 11pm from South Col (Camp 4 at 26,000 ft) route from Nepal side and touched  29,029 ft high  summit at 9.35 am on May 20, 2011. Thus  Premalata Agarwal,  48 year old mom became the oldest Indian woman to stand on the world's highest roof and made history.

It is  indeed a great feat for an older  woman, who is no longer a weaker gender, and is as gritty as men are when situation demands. She is one of the recipients of Padma Shri Awards by the Government of India in 2013.

Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premlata_Agarwal