Vertical Limit

“The peak is located near the Russian border and when she reached there three days ago,there was up to 20 cm snowfall and we were all worried about how the expedition would take place. But thankfully,the climate changed on Sunday and she conquered the peak within seven hours,” says Ranjana Patil,Krushnaa’s mother.

Elbruce is a volcanic peak with a dormant volcano that had erupted 50 years ago. With this,Krushnaa has conquered six out of seven tallest peaks in the world. On May 2 she will be heading to Mount McKinley in Alaska,North America,which if conquered before May 21 will make Krushnaa the first Indian woman to have conquered all the seven peaks in the world in the span of one year.

Having started with Mount Everest in May last year,Krushnaa had conquered the African peak of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 metre) in October followed by 4897-metre-high Vinson Massif in Antarctica,South America’s highest peak Mount Aconcagua – 6961 metres in January this year with the most recent 2228 metre Mount Koscinszko,the highest Australian peak last month.

Ranjana Patil who also accompanied Krushnaa on the Australian summit says,“It was a wonderful experience. Out of all the peaks,that’s the easiest one. The challenge is the dry weather condition in Australia. Though it is a snowy peak,the experience can be compared to climbing Sinhagad. Further,contrary to the ongoing controversies,people in Australia were very helpful and made our trip memorable.”

On a difficulty scale,surprisingly,Everest does not top the list according to Krushnaa. “Everest is a trodden path with ropes and support mechanisms established. Plus help from sherpas and local guides is available too. In case of peaks such as the Vinson Massif in Antarctica or Aconcaguam you have to carry the baggage on your own shoulders and that adds to the task,” says Ranjana Patil.