Tashi and Nungshi Malik, India's renowned twin mountaineering sisters known as the "Everest Twins," competed in Switzerland's "100% Women Peak Challenge."
The twins completed the challenge by summiting two 4,000 m (13,000 ft) peaks in the Swiss Alps. This year's challenge was introduced on International Women's Day as part of a women-only campaign, with the goal of encouraging women-only teams to climb all 48 13,000-foot peaks in the Swiss Alps.
Mount Breithorn (13,662 ft) and Allalinhorn (13,662 ft) were successfully conquered by the Malik twins (13,212 ft).
Nungshi Malik said, "We are thankful to Switzerland for inviting us to represent India and Indian women in this peak challenge. We have always dreamt of scaling the peaks here in the Swiss Alps, because we had heard so much about them from our peers, and the Alps did not disappoint!"
"Both the peaks we scaled were in the car-free town of Switzerland - Zermatt. At the top of Allalinhorn, the weather was extremely windy at the top, and the temperatures dropped to -5 degrees Celsius. The mountain had lots of crevasses to negotiate in the beginning and exposed rock to climb towards the summit and was more technical than Breithorn," she added.
Tashi Malik said, "This was our very first time experiencing the Swiss Alps, the terrain here is so different to anything that we have done in the past especially in the Himalayas. But it was an amazing adventure for, the visuals from the top of the mountain just took our breath away."
She continued, "The climb to Breithorn was comparatively easier. We would encourage more women who are looking to step out of their comfort zones and try their hand at mountaineering, to visit Switzerland and scale these peaks. The sheer beauty of the Alps and joy of reaching the summit will inspire you to continue and become a seasonal mountaineer."
So far, over 400 women from all around the world have taken on the challenge, including both experienced mountaineers and women who have never scaled a 4,000-meter peak.
"Inviting Tashi and Nungshi Malik to Switzerland for the peak challenge was an opportunity to connect global travelers, especially women mountaineers, and bring them together to discover all that Switzerland offers in its diverse landscape," said Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism.
"The twins were joined on their ascent to Mount Breithorn by two other Indian women who were not professional mountaineers. We believe that India's participation in the Peak Challenge will encourage more women to try out outdoor activities such as high-altitude hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and camping. Because we honestly feel that there is no mountain in the world or in a woman's life that she cannot conquer!" Ms. Sharma continued.
The twins also attempted their first multi-pitch ascent of Riffelhorn, which stands at 9,603 feet above sea level. The steep bolted routes, slick rock, and exposed portions all present unique challenges, earning the mountain a 4A climbing rating.
Aside from the hike, the twins went jet-boating in Interlaken, gliding across the dragon slider on Mount Pilatus, and visited the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
