Binita Soren and Sheelarani Mahato, who hail from Jharkhand, have become the first women mountaineers to climb Mt. Saser Kangri IV in the Eastern Karakoram Range of Himalayas in Ladakh.
In the second civilian expedition to the 24,331 ft. peak, out of the four ascents recorded so far, Binita (24) and Sheelarani (18), apart from 29-year-old Meghlal Mahato, scaled the highest citadel of the Eastern Karakoram on August 8.
The expedition, sponsored by the Tata Steel Foundation between July 10 and August 21, is considered to be one of the toughest in India. The proximity of the peak to the sensitive Siachen glacier and Chinese territory has entailed that very few have ventured for the mountain.
