Himachal woman Chhonzin Angmo, who can't see, conquers Mt Everest: 'My role model is Helen Keller'

Chhonzin Angmo, a 29-year-old mountaineer from Himachal Pradesh’s remote Hangrang Valley, has made history by becoming the first visually impaired Indian woman — and only the fifth such person globally — to scale Mount Everest.

Angmo, who is completely blind, reached the 8,848.86-metre summit earlier this month, accompanied by sherpas Dandu Sherpa and Om Gurung and expedition leader Lt Col (Retd) Romil Barthwal. A video of her hoisting the Tricolour atop Everest was shared with her family in Chango village, triggering scenes of celebration in the small, remote settlement nestled in the cold deserts of Kinnaur.
Angmo joins an elite group of visually impaired mountaineers to have reached Everest’s summit — following Erik Weihenmayer (USA, 2001) andy Holzer (Austria, 2017), Zhang Hong (China, 2021) and Lonnie Bedwell (USA, 2023). But she is the first woman in that list and the first Indian.
“This is not just my victory; it belongs to every person who believed in themselves even when the odds were stacked against them,” The Indian Express quoted Angmo as telling reporters after safely descending to base camp.

Her father, Amar Chand, who tends to green pea and apple plantations in their one-acre ancestral farm, described the moment as surreal. “Our daughter is like the oasis in our world,” said the 76-year-old, recalling the moment he saw the summit video. Her sister Kesang Yangchen added, “Our hills are called ‘Moonland’ by tourists. For us, Angmo has literally touched the moon,” The Indian Express quoted.
Her path to the top of the world was neither easy nor quick. She began losing her vision at the age of eight due to a medicine allergy. The family only became aware when her teacher raised concerns about her writing. Despite exhaustive visits to hospitals in Rampur, Shimla, Chandigarh and Dehradun, she eventually lost vision in both eyes, as per The Indian Express report.
Yet, the setback did not stop her. In 2005, Angmo was enrolled at the Mahabodhi School for the Visually Impaired in Leh. She later graduated from Delhi’s Miranda House and began mountaineering with a basic course in 2016 at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali, climbing the 5,289-metre Friendship Peak.
Her passion deepened with every climb — including peaks across Ladakh and a landmark trek to the Siachen Glacier in 2021, as part of Operation Blue Freedom, an initiative for specially-abled adventurers led by ex-Army personnel under Team Claw.
It was during this period that Angmo met renowned mountaineer Skalzang Rigzin, the first Indian civilian to scale Everest without supplemental oxygen. “She walked with a strong gait,” Rigzin recalled, praising her for using her senses smartly and scaling Kang Yatse II (6,250m) faster than most able-bodied climbers. “She knew the Jumar technique like a seasoned climber. Her confidence was inspiring,” Rigzin was quoted by The Indian Express.
The Everest expedition was made possible after her employer, Union Bank of India, agreed to sponsor her climb. In April 2024, she began training under Delhi-Hyderabad based firm Boots & Crampons, in partnership with Pioneer Adventures of Nepal. She first scaled Mt Lobuche (6,119m) and underwent acclimatisation cycles through Everest’s perilous camps - Camp 1 (6,065m), Camp 2 (6,400m), Camp 3 (7,200m) and Camp 4 (7,920m) - before pushing for the final summit.
Boots & Crampons co-founder Bharath Thammineni, who himself has scaled five 8,000m peaks, said, “The first thing that impressed us was how she knew the basics of mountaineering like an expert.”
Angmo says he inspiration comes from Helen Keller, whose books she read as a student. “People used to taunt me for being visually impaired, but my father never let me give up,” she told The Indian Express.
Her success story has ignited a wave of support and admiration. Mountaineers, celebrities and civil society members hailed her achievement as a breakthrough moment for inclusivity and courage.
Angmo, a 2024 recipient of the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, has become a rallying symbol and hopes to promote mountaineering among youth in remote regions and advocate for Himalayan environmental conservation.