Vegan climbs Everest in world first

Indian climber Prakriti Varshney has become the first Indian vegan woman to climb Everest.

21 May 2022

The graphic designer and her team are believed to be the first group to have summited the world’s highest peak this season.

“It was all real, absolutely the way I imagined it to be, really hard and raw” she reflected. “And trust me it wasn’t easy at all. I kept telling myself that I have to live it all along the way.”

She had to deal with low oxygen levels, challenging terrain, ice and low atmospheric pressure to reach the peak.

Prakriti has been vegan since 2017 after learning about the environmental impact of the dairy industry.

Fellow Indian Kuntal Joisher was the first known vegan to climb Everest in 2017. He used some animal products such as wool and leather, so later returned to repeat the feat with all vegan kit.

Around the same time vegan Dean Maher also completed the climb with all vegan kit.

See more vegan climbers

More on the climb

Prakriti on Instagram: @itisinthename