Manita Pradhan scaled Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica on December 12, becoming one of the few Indian women to reach the continent’s highest peak and moving a step closer to completing the prestigious Seven Summits challenge.
The summit was achieved at 8.30 pm local time after days of climbing in extreme sub-zero conditions. With the Vinson ascent, Pradhan has now conquered six of the seven continental high points, leaving Mount Kosciuszko in Australia as the final peak to complete her global mountaineering goal.
Pradhan began her expedition on December 1, departing from Gangtok in Sikkim and travelling to Antarctica via New York and Punta Arenas in Chile. She reached Punta Arenas on December 4, where the team spent two days acclimatising and finalising logistics critical for Antarctic operations.
From Chile, the climbers flew to Union Glacier Camp, the primary logistical base for Antarctic expeditions, before proceeding to Mount Vinson Base Camp. The terrain and weather posed immediate challenges, with severe cold, high winds and expansive icy landscapes defining the approach.
The summit push commenced on December 10, with temperatures plunging to minus 31 degrees Celsius. Strong winds and steep ice slopes tested endurance and resolve, but Pradhan successfully completed the ascent after several arduous days on the mountain.
In line with expedition regulations that prohibit flags on the summit, she displayed a flag commemorating the 50th Statehood of Sikkim at base camp, marking her connection to her home state.
The Vinson climb represents a major milestone in Pradhan’s mountaineering journey and places her among a select group of Indian climbers who have summited all but one of the world’s seven continental peaks. Her upcoming ascent of Mount Kosciuszko is set to complete the Seven Summits circuit.
