An Indian mountain climber is believed to have set a new women's record for summitting Mount Everest twice in less than a week.
The Himalayan Times reports that Anshu Jamsenpa, a 37-year-old mother of two, recently became the fastest woman to achieve a back-to-back ascent of Mount Everest.
The fearless Indian woman returned to Everest's 8,848-meter-high peak on May 21, only five days after her first summit in this year’s season.
“Climbing Everest once in a season is more than enough for most people,” Alan Arnette, an mountaineering expert, told the Washington Post. “You return to base camp exhausted, dehydrated and eager to return home. To do it twice in one season is normally reserved for Sherpas, not foreigners.”
According to the news source, Jamsenpa had harbored her daring plan ever since her first back-to-back Everest ascent in ten days in 2011. She had been unable to do so until now due to the deadly avalanches on the world's highest mountain in 2014 and 2015, which took a heavy toll on Nepal's tourism industry.
“My only aim now is to unfurl the national flag once again atop Mt. Everest and pay homage to Lord Buddha. I seek blessings and support from my fellow countrymen," said Jamsenpa via her publicist before setting out to scale the mountain again.
Richard Salisbury, the co-founder of the Himalayan Database, told the news source that once the reports are be verified, Jamsenpa would become the next Guinness-record holder for a women's double ascent. That honor currently belongs to Chhurim Sherpa, a Nepalese mountaineer who summitted twice in a span of seven days in 2012.
News of Jamsenpa’s accomplishment arrived amid growing concerns about fatal accidents on Mount Everest. Nepal issued a record 373 permits this year, says the Hindustan Times. Including guides, approximately 750 people will scale Everest during the current season, leaving many worried about foot traffic.
“If you arrive to find a line of people ahead of you, there is a real risk of getting frostbite as you stand still for hours waiting for those in front to clear the obstacle,” writes Rory McHugh, a banker-turn-mountaineer who is documenting his ongoing Everest expedition for the Irish Times.
Meanwhile, Nepalese officials are investigating a recent discovery of four dead bodies in the camp closest to the summit, which would raise this season’s death toll to ten, according to NPR.
[Photo via Newsmill]
