On May 20, 2026, mountaineer Saanika Shah made India proud. Five years of planning. First Indian woman to climb Himlung Himal. 50 days to Everest Summit. Bharatnatyam dance at base camp. 21 hours of being stuck in snow. Saanika Shah’s motivation to climb Everest began after watching a movie and ended with her touching her forehead to the summit in Namaskar. Speaking to Etimes Lifestyle, the 22-year-old talks about the physical toll, mental battles, and why the mountain gave her “a bigger perspective to life.”Take me back to the moment you decided “I’m going to climb Everest.” What kept motivating you? Whose idea was it?
6 May 2026 | 16:56
What are the three things that make you instantly happy?
My Everest journey goes back five years back to 2021 when I first watched ‘Everest’ movie. It’s based on a true story. That movie inspired me. I remember it was 7th June 2021 and I had decided that I’ll climb Everest in 2026. So, I gave myself that goal. And then, it all reverse engineered.Mountaineering is tough. How did you train yourself for it? Now comes training and which all peaks I’ll have to climb. So, before Everest, I went for Himalayan treks, then started with my first semi-technical climb. And then last year, the most major climb, which kind of gave me and my coach and my parents a green signal that, okay, I can go to climb Everest now attempt it. That was Himlung Himal in Nepal. It’s a 7000m peak. So it was like, if I reach 7000 with ease, I can attempt Everest next year.
Let me share a lesser known fact. I didn’t know before, but after I submitted Himlung, we came to know after reaching the base camp that I became the “first Indian woman to climb Himlung Himal.” Everest training was something completely different. Very tortuous training. Every day, almost six hours of training with no sleep and food and everything was limited. The schedule needs to be like this. What was your parents’ reaction when you told them you will climb Everest?When the moment came in April 2026, it was really exciting… there was nervousness, restlessness. It was very difficult for my parents to send me for this expedition. For them, the most difficult moment was, before we were leaving for Everest. They had to sign a body disposal form, which is a protocol for any one going for mountaineering. So basically if something happens to your child, what would you like to get done with their dead body? So, first option is to leave the body on the mountain. Second, bring down the body and then ashes will be sent to your home country. Third is bring the dead body back to your home country. So, my parents were given that brief and they had to sign it that – we are okay with that.What was the motivation throughout the journey? My only motivation was that I have to come back to my family no matter what. So that has been that one thing that kept me going for the 50 days we were on the expedition.
Oxygen is low at the top, your fingers are numb, wind is howling. How did your body even remember the steps?Our journey was 50 days long, we used to trek in phases and slowly when few days pass by, the body gets acclimatised to the environment and temperature. We trekked for nine days till Everest base camp. Next 15 days were at the base camp as the route ahead was closed due to weather. We kept training throughout this period. I underwent strenuous training at Khumbu icefall, which can only happen once you are there. so those 15 days allowed my body to get used to the altitude and temperature. Walk me through that moment when you did the Bharatnatyam mudra? Did you worry “what if I fall while dancing”? On the puja ceremony day, we prayed to the mountain gods for a safe passage. This was before we start climbing. At Everest base camp at 17,500 feet, I did the dance. Ever since I was of 4, I have learned Bharatnatyam. When I decided to climb Everest, I was very sure to do a Bharatnatyam dance as my tribute or as my prayer or as my offering to Everest Devi. After I did it, many people commented: “Why she’s dancing there…!” But I did it to offer my love and gratitude to Everest. Behind the dance were some difficulties because base camp is not flat land. There are rocks. I was in a saree and didn’t even wear socks plus it was extremely cold. I did worry what if I fall? My hands were getting really numb. But it all ended very well.
What was your lowest point on the expedition? A moment you thought “I’m turning back”?On our way to the summit, we were stuck in a long traffic jam. There’s a part called Hillary step which is just 100 meters below the summit. From that place to the summit, it’s not more than half an hour. But due to extreme weather conditions, we had to just stay put at Hillary step for 3 hours in -40 temperature. It was extremely windy. And just at the Hillary step, there was a dead body – frozen in sitting position! That sight was a terrifying. Sherpa, the Nepali guides who were with us, told us not to sit for rest or take a power nap because the chances are you might not ever get up. And it looked the same for this particular climber. Since we were stuck, we had to save oxygen so we had to reduce the flow to save it for further trekking. With low oxygen, I was feeling sleepy, thirsty and starved because we started our summit at 10.45 pm. I could feel my hands getting numb. I kept thinking what my parents told me: Sanika, whatever happens, don’t even lose a finger or nothing should happen to you. The battle was on in my mind – To return or keep going. We were constantly looking at that dead body. There were valleys on either side which are 2000m deep and you are stuck at one point. At that point, I did feel let’s go back. I told my Sherpa but he told me: “You are so close Saanika. Be strong for some more time!” I’m grateful to them for the motivation. I am glad I didn’t turn back! You carried India’s classical dance to the roof of the world. What did that feel like — as an Indian, as a woman, as a dancer?There was no plan to do Bharatnatyam to make it viral. But it did get viral naturally! I felt very beautiful in the Indian attire – all decked up. I call Everest ‘Sagar Matha Devi.’ She is the mother goddess of the Himalayas. I felt proud that I could pay this tribute to her. That moment was overwhelming. After the dance, I cried tears of happiness and gratitude. The video went on social media and it just went boom! The moment when you reached the Summit. What was your first reaction? I always thought my summit, whenever I reach it will be like that feeling of firecrackers and this and that. But when I actually reached the summit, it was a type of peace and calmness and the stillness that I felt like I reached there. I was just looking around and there was pure stillness. The kind of safety that you feel at your home is what I exactly felt up there. I just joined my hands in Namaskar in front of Everest. I touched my forehead to the bare ground cried for 10 minutes. I had flashbacks of the last five years of hardship, my training, balancing my academics, my dance and acting. I came through this with a lot of hardships, challenges.
Anything unusual you’d like to share about this experience and achievement?The mountain like never ending. It’s massive. It’s not easy at all. It’s challenging at every step. It’s life threatening at each step. During this whole journey, the only thought in my mind would be to take each step carefully, nothing should happen to me. I always knew that it will be longer hours, but never really realized how long it will feel like 21 hours on your feet without food, without going to washroom. There is no place where you can remove your down suit and go to the toilet. And it’s just in that moment, you are so concerned about your survival.Complete this: “Everest taught me that ___ I don’t want to say generalised things that it makes you humbler and you respect the mountains more. All that is there, yes. But I think it gave me a larger perspective to life because Everest as a mountain is massive and huge in such a way that it kind of, you feel intimidated by it. Like every single day when you are at the base camp, looking at those mountains, you are like, damn, these are massive. And that feeling just gives you a bigger perspective to life. Everything else feels trivial. I also realised it’s important to express love to your close ones. Now, I won’t hesitate and wait to say “I Love You” to my parents. So after this experience, I understand the value of relationships all the more.
