Kavita Chand, a 40-year-old mountaineer from Almora in Uttarakhand and currently based in Mumbai, successfully summited Mount Vinson, Antarctica's highest peak at 4,892 metres, on December 12, 2025, at 8:30 pm local time. This remarkable feat in one of the planet's most isolated and extreme environments adds to India's growing legacy in high-altitude mountaineering. Chand carried the Indian tricolour to the summit, expressing profound honour in representing her country amid the harsh Antarctic conditions.
The expedition began on December 3 when Chand departed India, reaching Punta Arenas in Chile the next day before flying to Union Glacier on December 7. She arrived at Vinson Base Camp, located at approximately 2,100 metres, via a short flight in a ski-equipped aircraft. Guided by acclaimed high-altitude expert Mingma David Sherpa and supported by Indian mountaineer Bharath Thammineni's Boots and Crampon expedition company, a nine-member Indian team navigated the climb with careful acclimatisation and planning.
Mount Vinson is renowned for its unforgiving challenges, including sub-zero temperatures, fierce winds, and logistical difficulties due to its remote location in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. The successful ascent required precise coordination in unpredictable weather, underscoring the team's preparation and resilience.
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This conquest advances Chand's pursuit of the Seven Summits challenge—the endeavour to scale the highest peak on each continent—following her earlier summit of Mount Elbrus in Europe. Her achievement highlights the rising participation of Indian climbers, particularly women, in global extreme adventures.
A former media professional who transitioned from corporate life in 2024 to focus on fitness, Chand is also an accomplished endurance runner, having won age-category titles in 2025 Hyrox events in Delhi and Mumbai while progressing toward the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Challenge. Married to fintech executive Deepak Chand Thakur, she draws inspiration from her Uttarakhand roots.
Chand hopes her journey motivates professionals to harmonise career ambitions with physical pursuits, proving that determination and fitness can coexist with success. Her story continues to inspire as she targets the remaining summits in this prestigious global challenge.
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