Honoured with the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ on 25th September 2018 by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. This is India’s highest adventure award instituted by the Government of India Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
Smeared with tales of deaths and defeats, Mount Everest is quite the overwhelming beast; but not overwhelming enough for Arunachal’s Dr. Anshu Jamsenpa.
Building a name in history, Anshu Jamsenpa is the first and only woman to do a double ascent of Mount Everest. The appalling climb of 29,029 ft was vanquished by her twice in a matter of 10 days between May 12 and 21 in 2011.
In 2017, Anshu Jamsenpa made her first ascent and unfurled the Indian National Flag atop on May 16. She began her second ascent on May 19, continued hiking till 10 pm. On May 21 she reached the summit at 7:45 am; this time in 5 days and setting a record for ‘Fastest Double Ascent by a Woman’.
This mother of two also holds a record of scaling three Himalayan peaks in a matter of 6 days; Pokhalde 19,343 ft., Lobuche 20,075 ft. and Island Peak 20,305 ft. With all these record-setting feathers added to her hat, it will come as no surprise that she is the first Indian woman to summit Mt. Everest 5 times.
Before 2017, she had made two more attempts in 2014 & 2015 to record the fastest double ascent. Unfortunately, she had to desert her goal temporarily due to the avalanche and earthquake in the region that witnessed the death of 16 climbers and 22 mountaineers in the respective incidents.
Anshu Jamsenpa’s willpower and constant determination to beat her own best self, has made her leap a distance hard enough for many climbers to catch-up. Nation’s pride and a role model for women in extreme and adventure sports, she has given a new identity to the strength of a woman.