Breaking Myths 26-year-old Prakriti Becomes First Vegan Indian Woman To Summit Mount Everest

16th May 2022

Prakriti Varshney, a mountaineer from Delhi summited Mount Everest on the 12^th of May 2022 and is India’s first vegan woman to do so.

Prakriti left Delhi for the expedition on the 5^th of April and successfully completed her rotations to higher camps. Her team commenced from Everest Base Camp for the final ascent on the 7^th of May 2022.

Image Courtesy : Prakriti Varshney Facebook

The almost 69km climb from Everest Base Camp to the summit entails difficult glacial terrains and walls of ice among other perilous conditions like low atmospheric pressure and risk of avalanches. Adding to that if climbers choose to ascend from one camp to another during the day, the temperatures can go up to 50 degrees in the scorching sun.

Image Courtesy: Prakriti Varshney Instragram

Prakriti conquered all of these and was able to summit the top of Everest on the 12^th of May 2022.

Prakriti has been a vegan for over 5 years now and says “I chose this way of life after understanding the harmful effects of dairy farming on the environment.”

Prakriti also managed to acquire 100% vegan mittens for the expedition and was mindful of leaving a minimal impact on the environment during her climb.

Image Courtesy: Prakriti Varshney Instagram

The first vegan to summit Mount Everest from the north and south side, Kuntal Joisher said, "We have elite athletes, thousands if not lakhs of them, across every kind of sport imaginable, going vegan for various reasons. I have seen a shift in people’s attitudes to trying out a plant-based diet, even in Asia, people are at least willing to try it out. And it is driven by an exponential rise in availability of products like vegan protein powders or supplements and even vegan meats. It is making it easier for athletes to think that they can meet their nutritional requirements. There is a big change happening and people are more receptive. Vegan athletes standing on top of the world, both metaphorically and physically, are helping fuel this shift.”

Prakriti plans to head for her next expedition after saving up for it or when she receives a sponsor.

She aims to climb all the 8000ers in the coming years and spread the compassionate message of a vegan diet and lifestyle.

And she is all set to make it happen.

Like this? Read: Meet Kuntal Joisher: A Vegan Mountain Climber Who Conquered Mt. Everest!

Read More: Vegan First Live Session with Kuntal Josher, Delton D'Souza and Neha Chandna