TSAF’s Asmita Dorjee Conquers Mt. Everest on Second Attempt

Tata Steel Adventure Foundation’s Asmita Dorjee successfully summits Mt. Everest on her second attempt, marking a significant achievement in her mountaineering journey.

JAMSHEDPUR – Asmita Dorjee, Senior Instructor at Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) and ace climber, has successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 23, 2023.

Despite initial plans to climb without supplementary oxygen, Dorjee resorted to its usage from Camp 4 (8000 m height) due to health concerns.

Dorjee commenced her journey on April 3 and reached the Everest base camp on April 14 following an 8-day trek through the Khumbu region.

She initiated her final summit push on May 18, crossing the perilous Khumbu icefall and reaching Camp 2 the next day. Starting her final summit climb at 10 pm on May 22, Dorjee reached the peak on May 23 at 8:20 am (IST), marking a significant achievement for both herself and TSAF.

Chanakya Chaudhary, Chairman of TSAF, expressed his pride in Dorjee’s feat, highlighting her resilience in not giving up after falling short by just 100m during her last attempt without supplementary oxygen in the previous year.

Dorjee, born in a Sherpa family in Thesu, a village in the Everest region, has nurtured the goal of scaling Mt. Everest since she lost her father to the mountain in 1984. Trained by Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Mt. Everest, Dorjee has successfully climbed various peaks above 6,000 meters. In September 2022, she successfully climbed Mt. Manaslu (8163m) without supplementary oxygen, becoming the second Indian woman to do so.

Dorjee’s rigorous three-year preparation involved climbing various 6000m and 7000m peaks, coupled with cycling, running, and trail running for extended distances. She also drew from the experiences and insights of other Everest climbers at TSAF, furthering her preparation.