Prakriti Varshney Is The First Vegan Indian Woman To Summit Mount Everest

Prakriti Varshney recently made history as the first vegan Indian woman to summit Mount Everest.

Earlier this month, the plant-based athlete, writer, and graphic designer climbed the summit of the world’s highest mountain.

Varshney and her fellow climbers were the first to reach the peak of Everest this climbing season, according to climbing adventure business Seven Summit Treks.

Varshney’s climbing adventures have made news before. She climbed Nepal’s Ama Dablam, which stands at slightly over 6,800 meters, last year.

Ama Dablam is a difficult climb that is often recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful mountains. Varshney not only completed the walk, but she did it while suffering from menstruation pains.

“For me, it made me cross my limits… Like, I feel I would not have known how strong I am if this wouldn’t have happened,” she told the Indian Express after the climb. 

“I feel, a woman can be as strong as she wants and as fragile too… And we have to embrace both,” she added.

Vegan Climbers

Varshney is also an animal lover who is a staunch supporter of vegetarianism.

Varshney is not the first vegan climber to reach the peak of Everest, despite the fact that she is the first vegan Indian woman to do so.

Kuntal Joisher and veteran Australian vegan climber Dr. Maria Strydom both reached the peak of Everest in the same year. Sadly, she died of altitude sickness while descending.

Joisher returned to the peak of Everest in 2018 and is now on a quest to “normalize vegan mountaineering.”

He wrote for Red Bull last year about the experience in 2016, saying, “It was so overwhelming, I couldn’t hold back the tears. With a minute’s credit left on my satellite phone, I called home, then I sat down to soak in the view from the top. I’ll never forget those 20 minutes. The only feeling that compares is the birth of my daughter.”

“It was a huge achievement for me as a mountaineer, but it also shone a positive light on veganism,” he added.

Source: “Prakriti Varshney Hailed As First Vegan Indian Woman To Summit Everest” by Plant Based News

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