Page 592 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

The expedition was flagged off by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, AVSM, VSM,
NSM, who is the chief of personnel, on 28 May 2018 from New Delhi. This
expedition would open doors to scale more mountains and peaks and helps to
provide a better opportunity to hone their mountaineering skills. It is to

ensure that women excel in all fields including mountaineering.

Route of Expedition

The team started from Bara Hazari, which is a road heading to the base camp
that is located at an altitude of 4,250 metres from the valley. They trekked

through Chikka and Seri. They further advanced to a higher base camp,
which is located at an altitude of 4,700 metres. Finally, they reached the
summit that is located at an altitude of 5,250 metres. After a strenuous 12-

hour climb, they reached the summit on 10 June 2018 at 13:00 hours.

Challenges faced by the Crew

Reaching the summit was not an easy task for the crew. They had to face
hard terrain, steep climbs, wide crevasses, harsh and spine-chilling cold with
heavy snowfall and whiteouts. Hanging glaciers and towering peaks were

some other challenges faced by the crew.

Outcome and Future Expeditions

This was the expedition after the announcement of scaling Mount Bhagirathi.
It is a great honour and a golden feather for the Indian Navy’s great

adventures. It will pave the way to conquer higher peaks of Mount Everest.
The Indian Navy is breaking barriers for their women personnel by giving
them full support to do every adventure as men do. A recent example of this

is the voyage around the world by an all-women crew of the Indian Navy.
This is the perfect example that women soldiers are equally efficient and
strong as their men counterparts. It is expected that the mountaineering crew

will conquer much tougher terrain as they consider this the first step. It also