Adding another feather to their cap, twin sisters Nungshi and Tashi Malik became the first Indian twin sisters to scale Europe’s highest peak, the 18,510 feet high Mount Elbrus, on August 22.
Although not so high, Elbrus is notorious for high wind speeds and very low temperatures. They have now become the first Indian twin sisters to step together on Mt Elbrus. In 2012, they became the first Indian twin sisters to scale Mt Killimanjaro. With this feat, the ‘first twin sisters in the world to conquer Everest’ have climbed three of the famed ‘Seven Summits’. If sponsors extend support, the twins aim to scale the rest of the peaks for another world record.
The Malik recently also became first set of twin sisters to conquer a virgin peak in Bara Shigri glacier of Himachal Pradesh at 6290 m (21000 ft) which will now be suitably named by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. The 22 years old sisters originally hail from Sonipat district of Haryana and are now residing in Dehradun to pursue their mountaineering pursuits.
Depending on the funding from sponsors, the twins now plan to conquer Mt Aconcagua in Argentina or Carstenz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea by October end, Vinson Massif in Antarctica by December and Mt McKinley in Alaska in May 2014 with the motto ‘gender equality-fight against female foeticide’.