Tashi and Nungshi Malik represented India in the Women's-Only Peak Challenge
“The mountains were awe-inspiring yet easy to climb.”
Tashi as well as Nungshi Malik, are referred to by the name of Everest Twins. They were recently asked to be the representatives of India at a Women's-Only Peak Challenge in Switzerland. They were also the first twins and siblings to scale their way up the Seven Summits together and reach the North and South Poles to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam and Three Poles Challenge. They took on the challenge of climbing a few four thousand m (approx. 13,000 ft) mountains within the Swiss Alps to encourage mountain climbing to be a gender-neutral sport. We were interviewed by us in Switzerland about their first mountain climbing adventure during their time in the Swiss Alps, the obstacles women from India confront when they take up this sport, and the most feared fear they face when climbing together as Nungshi Malik, are referred to by the name of Everest Twins.
"The mountains spoke directly to us, and it was fascinating.”
Over 400 women from all over the world have joined in this adventure to date, including experienced mountaineers and women who've never attempted to climb an altitude of more than 4000 meters before. Tashi and Nungshi say that they have always dreamed of visiting the Swiss Alps due to having heard about it so many times. "Unlike some of the other mountains we've climbed this far, which required lengthy trips, this one was much more pleasant because we were able to ascend three mountains within just three days. It was amazing. The summits were intimidating but extremely accessible. This was fascinating because we could be light in weight, and it was fascinating to see how the weather grew fierce on the summit. The mountains spoke to us. The connection we established this time was amazing. I was initially nervous. I was thinking, "I don't know, we've never been to the Swiss Alps. We must get acquainted with the area, But it immediately clicked. It was so simple to get up here. It was comfortable, safe and we were able to access the network, which I believe is essential, particularly if you have any issues or issues," shares Nungshi. Tashi adds, "The views here were stunning. This part of the Swiss Alps enthralled me, and I think that the only challenging thing is the weather. I love that the mountains in Switzerland are so gorgeous. It's like having the perfect crush."
"We'll see more Indian female mountaineers and guides as there's more potential to grow the sport.”
The twins are hoping to make mountaineering an equal opportunity sport and hope that increased opportunities and progress of the game will bring more women into it. "It is considered an all-male sport since when you examine the number of mountaineers, they are overwhelmingly males. I believe women represent 15 percent of the mountaineers worldwide. In Switzerland, women are encouraged to climb from the beginning, starting from two years old. Everyone is out in the open. It's fun to observe the weekend crowds. Men and women are out at 5 am and skiing downhill. At the same time, we've realized that women's issues in this industry are not just local. There aren't a lot of female guides. Generally, when you travel to any of our trips out of the country, you'll see that many companies employ only male guides." Tashi explains.
Nungshi says there are no guidelines for mountaineering sport in India. "Nobody is encouraged to go mountaineering in India. This isn't the case in Switzerland because the whole ecosystem is friendly. Some female guides and women set records, Climb Mountains, and even guide, which is not often. I was interested in understanding how the government pulls off something similar to this. We can't imagine making this happen in India. It is not feasible to imagine putting together the same project here since we know that we will remain stuck in the initial stage of empowering women to join and climb. I believe that it will be built eventually, but what stops many women at present is that there's not much room to grow in the sport since we don't have any rules around it. If the situation happens, then you'll have sufficient women climbers, guides and adventurers," she adds.
“The most difficult thing to overcome is fear of losing others.”
The sisters, who have been climbing for over a decade, believe that even though many believe that it's beneficial to have a friend around on these trips, losing each other is their greatest fear. "To be honest, it can affect my mental state. If one of us - God forbid - gets into an uncontrollable situation, and we cannot manage, it will be difficult to accept this reality. So, instead of taking care of myself, I take care of Tashi and vice versa. We're not concerned about our safety; we're more concerned about the security that the rest of us have. It has been the most difficult obstacle because anything can happen in the mountains," shares Nungshi.