Indian Army's women officers summit Mt Everest

Base Camp of Mount Everest:  Four Women Officers and six Gentlemen Soldiers of the Indian Army proudly stood on the summit of Mount Everest earlier today and unfurled the National and Indian Army flags on the highest peak in the world in the early hours of 25 May 2012, an ascent that came after a spell of inclement weather and abandoned summit bids of other expeditions.

The final push for the summit began around 7 pm on 24 May 2012 from Camp 4 famously known as the South Col, with the first of the climbers arriving at their destination about nine hours later.

“Sir, we’ve done it,” were the first words from Captain Namrata Rathore to Colonel Ajay Kothiyal the leader of the expedition from the summit. The other Women officers who reached the summit were Major N. Linyu, Capt. Deepika Rathore and Capt. Smitha. Maj N Linyu was the first Woman climber of the team to reach the summit. The team was led by Major R. S. Jamwal (Deputy leader of the team). Subedar Rajender Jalal, Havaldar Sherab Palden, Havildar Praveen Thapa, Havildar Chander Bahadur Thapa and Lance Havildar Sudhir Singh were the other members who successfully scaled the peak.

Subedar Jalal, a veteran mountaineer who has already scaled five eight thousand meter peaks and also Mt Everest in 2003 became the first Indian to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain without oxygen.

The team was divided into two summit teams. Team-I comprising of five officers (including four women officers), one Junior Commissioned Officer and four Non Commissioned Officers successfully summitted the peak on 25 May 2012.  Team-II comprising of four officers (including three women officers), two Junior Commissioned Officers and two Non Commissioned Officers will attempt the summit in early hours of  26 May 2012.

“I am proud of our women and men who refused to give up,” Deputy Chief of the Army Staff  Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali Deputy Chief of the Army Staff. 

“Our Expedition team have made the Indian army and the country proud by being determined to achieve their goal of reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain despite all the odds and inclement weather of the past few weeks,” said Lt Gen SP Tanwar, Director General of Military Training.

“The first attempt on the summit from 20 May 2012 onwards was hampered by bad weather that included strong winds which prompted us to make a strategic decision to postpone the summit.” said the team leader  Col Ajay Kothiyal.