For most climbers, scaling Mount Everest just once is the achievement of a lifetime. Anshu Jamsenpa, a 38-year-old mother of two from India, did it twice in less than a week.
She summited Everest twice in five days, making her the women's record holder for fastest double ascent of Earth's highest peak. She beat a record set by a Nepali woman, Chhurim Sherpa, who made two ascents in seven days in 2011.
US soldiers recount harrowing descent from Mount Everest In deadly climbing season at Everest, crowds add to high risksAnshu — who hails from India's mountainous northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, where many people are known by their first name — scaled Everest along its southeast ridge route on May 16. She repeated the perilous feat on May 21. Both ascents will be certified by the Nepali government this week, according to a tourism official.
A motivational speaker and mountaineering trainer, she said confidence in herself helped her push through the pain and fatigue.
"I got blisters on my legs. I was tired, but then still I thought, 'No, I must try. I must push.' I had that confidence in me," Anshu said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If you try, you can definitely get success."
She reached the top of the world on three other occasions. She scaled the 29,035-foot mountain twice in 10 days in 2011 and reached the summit again in 2013.
Anshu said you can achieve anything if you believe in yourself.
"The only thing is that you have to be ready to face all the pains and all the obstacles," she told The Associated Press. "That was there in my mind, and that's how I like it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.