No mountain high enough for these climbers

India's women mountaineers have set many records this year, but sponsorships are still scarce

In May 2022, 27-year-old Baljeet Kaur from Himachal Pradesh scripted history by becoming the only Indian mountaineer to scale five 8,000-meter peaks in less than a month in a single season, a feat that no Indian man holds yet.

Kaur and Mingma Sherpa summited five Himalayan mountain peaks--Mt. Annapurna I (8,091m) on April 28, Mt. Kanchenjunga (8,586m) on May 12, Mt. Everest (8,849m) on May 21, Mt. Lhotse (8516m) on May 22 and Mt. Makalu (8463m) on May 28.

She is not the only one to make India proud this year.

Twenty-six-year-old vegan Prakriti Varshney summited Mt.Everest on May 12 at 5.53 AM, becoming the first Indian vegan to represent the cause at the world's most sought-after peak.

Maharashtra's Priyanka Mangesh Mohite has also climbed five 8000m peaks, but unlike Kaur, she has done it over the years. An engineer by profession, Mohite attributes her feat to her eternal love for the mountains and continuous support from her well-wishers and sponsors and her late dog Aishu, who she lost a few years back.

For Mohite, securing the funds required for the climb was a tough road, and she almost gave up before her crowdfunding campaign pulled through and accumulated 11 lakhs of the 35 lakhs needed to climb Everest. She secured the rest from her savings and borrowed from friends and family.

"I wanted to break the myth that veganism doesn't give you enough strength. It is possible to overcome every challenge as a vegan on a mountain just like anyone else, and I owe it to my rigorous training for five months," said Varshney.

Kaur has had the support of her local community in Solan and a few private companies since starting to climb mountains as an NCC cadet in 2016. Ultimately, she spent a few days after each climb to secure sponsorship for her next.

"I could have climbed all five peaks in less time, but I had to spend time on the ground just to speak to potential sponsors," said Kaur.

Mohite had to struggle to secure sponsorship, but she does not think being a woman ever came in her way. Supported by one of India's first tech unicorns, Postman, and others, she stood on the top of Kanchenjunga on May 5, completing five peaks above 8000 m.

Speaking about the challenges for women mountaineers, Kaur shares that while women climbing mountains are par for the course, there is a gender disparity regarding financial support.

The challenge of securing funds is experienced by almost all athletes, informs Yuktie Jhangiani Verma, a mountaineer and the Director of eco-conscious winter-wear brand Kosha.

"Sports, the outdoors, and wellness have to be valued as much as we value increasing the topline and bottom-line of our balance sheets. The change has to happen at the ecosystem level," Verma said.

The achievers agree unanimously that the challenges are at a human level because the mountains do not discriminate against genders. The roads are challenging for everyone, and anything can happen if you are not trained well enough or lack the team spirit to work through the challenges with your sherpa.

"My first few climbs were difficult since I was very young, but I didn't face gender discrimination in seeking sponsorships as I progressed. I think it gets easier once you prove yourself, " Mohite said.

(Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay is an avid traveller, a writer and an independent marketing professional working from Goa)