Indian blind woman becomes the first in the world to scale Everest
Chhonzin Angmo, a visually impaired climber from Himachal Pradesh, made history by becoming the first blind woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
An Indian woman who is visually impaired reached the summit of Mount Everest on Sunday morning, becoming the first blind woman to climb the world’s highest peak, expedition organizers said.
Chhonzin Angmo, 29, from Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, reached the 8,848.86-metre (29,031.7-foot) summit at around 8:34 a.m. as part of the Pioneer Everest Expedition, according to Mingma Dorchi Sherpa, chairman of Pioneer Adventure. She was guided by Dandu Sherpa and Om Gurung, he said.
Angmo lost her sight at the age of eight following a reaction to medication. Despite the challenge, she completed a basic mountaineering course and had previously climbed several peaks in Ladakh. She also scaled Lobuche, a 6,119-metre peak near Everest, ahead of her summit push.
Her climb came on a busy day on Everest, with 135 summits recorded on Sunday alone. Indian climbers make up the largest group on the mountain this season, with 87 of the 468 climbing permits issued by the Department of Tourism.
