Bhubaneswar: Odisha mountaineer Swarnalata Dalai successfully conquered Mount Everest, Monday morning as part of the ‘Mission Everest 2018’ programme. Along with her Uttarakhand mountaineer Poonam Rana and instructor Sandeep Toliya also scaled the tallest peak in the world.
The campaign was sponsored by Tata Steel and was organised by the company’s adventure foundation (TSAF).
“It is a great achievement by the trekkers which showcases their indomitable spirit, zeal and grit. We are proud to have been able to support them to realise their dreams. TSAF will continue to promote adventurous sports in India,” corporate services head Sunil Bhaskaran said in a release.
The mountaineers had been undergoing training at TSAF for the past one year. They were sent to climb South America’s tallest peak – Mount Aconcagua in February as part of their training schedule. During training they had the chance to get used to turbulent weather, high altitudes and thin air with less oxygen – conditions they would have faced while climbing the Everest.
The trio also had another month-long training at the Himalayan range under the watchful eyes of the legendary Bachendri Pal. It gave them another chance to acclimatise themselves with the conditions they would encounter scaling the Everest.
Pal congratulated the climbers. “Their feat will inculcate the ‘can do’ spirit among people,” she said.
Twenty-year-old Swaranalata has also climbed Mt Rudugaria and other high altitude peaks in the Himalayan range. She is the first Odia girl to be sponsored by Tata Steel for the Everest Expedition.
“I am pretty much happy to climb Mt Everest. I feel as if a dream has come true. I thank TSAF and Bachendri madam for their great support and guidance,” she said.
