PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, May 31: She has made the country proud.
Asmita Dorjee ( 38 ), a senior instructor at Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF), reached the south summit (8745m) of Mt. Everest (8848m) without using supplementary oxygen.
She returned from the south summit (8745m) at 6.30 am on May 13, making her the first Indian woman to achieve this incredible feat.
An exhilarated Dorjee said she is disappointed but satisfied with her attempt.
She had been training for the summit for the last three years with a focus on improving her strength, endurance, and stamina, keeping the no-oxygen attempt in mind.
The expedition route beyond the 8000-metre mark, also called the ‘death zone’, is considered extremely dangerous due to thin air, strong winds, and bitter cold.
Due to very low oxygen availability, climbers are required to use supplementary oxygen from camp 3 i.e. above 7100-metres in order to survive and return safely.
There have been very few people in the world who have climbed Mt. Everest without supplementary oxygen.
On May 13, at around 6 am, when she reached the south summit (8745m), Asmita temporarily lost her vision due to lack of oxygen in her body.
Her fellow Sherpas took the decision of a turn-around and supported her in the downclimb from the south summit to camp (8000m).
After returning to the base camp, she was hoping for another attempt, however, the doctors advised her against it as she could have developed the same symptoms of High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) again.
She started her return from the base camp on May 18 and returned to Kathmandu on May 22. Safety has always been the frontrunner of any expedition organised by TSAF.
Congratulating Asmita on her achievement, Chanakya Chaudhary, chairman, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation and vice- president (Corporate Services), Tata Steel, said, “We are delighted to have Asmita back with us after reaching 8745 m without supplemental oxygen. The fact that she managed to accomplish this altitude without using supplementary oxygen makes us even more proud of her achievement. This was by no means an ordinary feat and required an unimaginable amount of endurance, resolve, and determination on Asmita’s part. At TSAF, we will continue to promote and support adventure sports in the country and inspire generations.”
Chanakya Chaudhary had flagged off the expedition along with Hemant Gupta, head, TSAF, and Premlata Agarwal, manager, TSAF on March 29.
