By Andrea Buenrostro, Courier Staff Writer
The new world record for a woman to summit Mt. Everest twice in less than a week goes to a mother of two from India.
Some of the best climbers from around the world come to Everest to test their skills. Unfortunately, many people that go up never come back down. An estimated 200 bodies are still believed to be on Mount Everest. They serve as a reminder to climbers about the risks of Everest. Many of the deceased climbers succumb to the dangerously thin air that can be found at 26,000 feet. At this altitude if one does not have supplemental oxygen with them, they will start dying slowly. The lack of oxygen starts killing the brain and small movements require immense amount of strength.
Luckily Anshu Jamsenpa, a 38-year-old mother of two from Arunachal Pradesh, was able to summit Everest twice. Jamsenpa is a motivational speaker and mountaineering trainer who now holds the women’s record for fastest double ascent of the Earth’s highest peak.
Jamsenpa used Everest’s southeast ridge route and was able to summit twice in five days, luckily she only suffered blisters on her legs. “I got blisters on my legs. I was tired, but then still I thought, ‘No, I must try. I must push.’ I had that confidence in me,” Jamsenpa said in an interview with The Associated Press, “If you try, you can definitely get success.” We can definitely learn a lesson or two from this inspiration and now she has an amazing story to tell her children.
Despite the odds against her, this will be the fifth time that Jamsenpa successfully summits Everest.