Priyanka Mohite of the Satara district of Maharashtra has become the first Indian woman to summit five peaks over 8000 metres. After ascending Mount Kanchenjunga, Priyanka reached the milestone. On May 5, at 4:42 p.m., the 30-year-old ascended the world's third highest peak.
Priyanka works for a pharmaceutical research organisation in Bengaluru. She also received the coveted Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.
Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Makalu, and Annapurna 1 were all conquered by the 30-year-old in 2013. In addition, she is the first Indian woman to summit Annapurna 1 and Makalu.
Priyanka said, "There are 14 8000m-plus height mountains in the world -- seven in Nepal, two in China and five in Pakistan. As Indians, we can't climb in Pakistan. In 2013, I climbed Mount Everest, at that time I decided that I would go for these tough 8000 metres mountains because there are very few mountaineers from India who have done this. Nowadays women are also climbing but very few of them are taking this challenge."
She ascended the second mountain in 2018 after Nepal was damaged by a snowfall in 2014 and an earthquake in 2015. Priyanka had planned to climb Mount Kanchenjunga in 2020, but was unable to do so owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She began mountain climbing as a teenager in Maharashtra's Shayadri region. Priyanka climbed Bandarpunch in 2012. The Himalayan massif of Uttarakhand's Garhwal division includes Bandrapunch. Priyanka ascended Mt. Menthosa, which is 6443 metres above sea level, in 2015. It is the second highest peak in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
