Itanagar: Scripting history with resilience and determination, January Tali and Hachu Lombo have become the first women from Arunachal Pradesh to scale the 7,077-metre Mt Kun in Ladakh’s Zanskar range.The duo reached the summit at 6am on July 27 after an arduous 11-day high-altitude expedition organised by Cho Expedition. Tali hails from Yingkiong in Upper Siang district, while Lombo is from Anini in Dibang Valley district.Considered one of India’s most demanding technical climbs, Mt Kun presents steep ice walls, crevassed glaciers, unpredictable weather and extreme oxygen deprivation. Only four members of the nine-member team, excluding Sherpas, reached the summit, while five were forced to turn back because of the weather and difficult terrain.Arunachal Pradesh governor KT Parnaik on Sunday congratulated the mountaineers and described their achievement as a moment of immense pride for the state.“Their successful ascent reflects extraordinary courage, determination, endurance, and mental strength,” Parnaik said in a Raj Bhavan statement. He added that the feat would inspire young people, particularly women across the region, to embrace physical fitness and adventure sports.Tali had previously scaled six Himalayan peaks within two weeks, including twice summiting UT Kangri (6,080 metres) and Mentok Kangri-III (6,126 metres), besides climbing Mentok Kangri-I (6,268 metres) and Mentok Kangri-II (6,218 metres).The Indian Mountaineering Foundation in New Delhi will award official summit certificates to both mountaineers.
