Priyanka Mohite Reaches Milestone; Becomes 1st Indian Woman To Climb 5 Peaks Above 8,000 Meters

New Delhi: Priyanka Mohite hailing from Satara district in Maharashtra has reached a milestone by becoming the first Indian woman to climb five peaks situated above 8000 meters.

Priyanka successfully completed the daunting task of conquering Mount Kanchenjunga on May 5 and the 30-year-old climbed the world's third-highest peak at 4:42 p.m on May 5.

Her brother broke out the news of her achievement. Priyanka works for a Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical research firm and she was also felicitated with the prestigious Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award back in 2020.

 Priyanka had earlier climbed Mount Everest in 2013, Mount Lhotse in 2018, Mount Makalu in 2019, and Annapurna 1 in 2021. She also happens to be the first Indian woman to successfully climb Annapurna 1 and Makalu.

"There are 14 8000m-plus height mountains globally, out of which seven are in Nepal, two in China, and five in Pakistan. We can't climb in Pakistan as Indians. After climbing Mount Everest in 2013, I chose to climb these difficult 8000-meter mountains as there are so few Indian mountaineers who have done so. Today, women are also climbing, but only a small percentage of them take this challenge," Mohite said to a news agency.

It is to be noted that she climbed Mount Lhotse in 2018 after Nepal was hit by snowfall in 2014 and an earthquake struck the country back in 2015. She had planned to climb Mount Kanchenjunga in 2020 but was unable to go ahead with her plan owing to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, Priyanka started to climb mountains when she was a teenager in Maharashtra's Sahyadri region and she had developed an interest in it. 

She climbed Bandarpunch, which is situated in the mountain massif of Uttarakhand's Garhwal division, in 2012. Later, she climbed Mt. Menthosa, which is 6443 metres above sea level, in 2015 and it happens to be the second-highest peak in the Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh.

Also read: Probable candidates in Presidential polls: The favourites and dark horses

Also watch: