Prakriti Varshney

Prakriti Varshney – high-altitude mountaineer and inspirational speaker

Prakriti Varshney is a high-altitude mountaineer, solo traveller, inspirational speaker and the first vegan Indian to summit Mount Everest – along with other formidable peaks like Makalu (8481m), Ama Dablam, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and many more around the world.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class family in India, mountains were never about adventure—they were about pilgrimage. For Prakriti, going to the mountains meant visiting Vaishno Devi, a religious journey in India, not a dream of summits.

English was never her strength—she studied in a Hindi-medium school. But her father worked incredibly hard and got her into an English-medium school by the time she reached 6th grade. One day, she learned that Mount Everest was the highest peak in the world. She told myself, “One day, I’ll go there.” It sounded crazy—a 12-year-old from a modest family in India dreaming of Everest.

But she held on to that dream. Prakriti has now climbed 12 mountains in 12 different countries in 2023 and completed speed climbs of Mt. Mentok Kangri in just 12 hours and Mt. Kanamo in 10 hours.

Some highlights include –

• Everest (8,848m) – Nepal, 2022 First Vegan Indian Woman to Summit The world’s highest peak and the most iconic, Prakriti’s Everest climb broke barriers for both Indian women and vegan athletes globally.
• Makalu (8,485m) – Nepal, 2023 First Vegan Indian Woman to Summit the world’s fifth Highest Mountain, Known for its steep slopes and technical difficulty, this climb confirmed her place among elite high-altitude mountaineers.
• Ama Dablam (6,814m) – Nepal One of the Most Technical Climbs in the Himalayas Known as the “Matterhorn of the Himalayas”, this peak is a rite of passage for skilled climbers.
• She has also climbed – Mt. Lobuche East (6,119m), Mt. Deo Tibba, Mt. Gangstang, Mt. Mentok Kangri, Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Mt. Aconcagua (6,961m), Mt. Lhotse (8,516m), Mt. Denali (6,190m) to name a few.

Prakriti isn’t just a mountaineer—she’s a multi-sport adventure athlete, embracing life through Marathon Running, Certified Scuba Diver, and a Snowboarder & Paragliding Pilot

After leaving her family home in 2016, she moved to Manali to open a hostel and now volunteers with an animal rescue NGO.

As an Animal Welfare Advocate, Prakriti is climbing societal challenges through her activism:

• Advocate for Adopt, Don’t Shop
• Active with the Manali Stray Dogs Association
• Spreads awareness for responsible pet parenting through her platform

SPEAKING WORK

Prakriti’s mission goes beyond climbing mountains; it’s about using her journey to inspire others to rise above fear, embrace discomfort, and discover their own inner summits.

Prakriti Varshney shares her amazing story as the first vegan woman to reach the top of Mt. Everest in May 2022 at the Everest Summit 2.0 event organized by the i3 Foundation. She also talks about climbing Mt. Makalu in May 2023 and being the second Indian woman to summit Mt. Ama Dablam in 2021

Drawing on her from experiences in some of the world’s harshest environments she has delivered talks on

• Resilience
• Courage,
• The Power of mindset

Her speech provide – real, raw stories of surviving and thriving in extreme isolation and adversity and covers –

• Insights on discipline, focus, and mental strength honed over years of solo travels
• A unique perspective as a plant-based athlete challenging norms in the mountaineering world
• A deep passion for empowering women and young people to step into discomfort and chase bold dreams

Speaking topics have included –

• From Fashion Runways to Mountain Pathways: My Transformational Journey
• Breaking Barriers: A Woman’s Ascent in a Male-Dominated Arena
• Beyond Limits: Embracing Challenges in the World’s Highest Places
• Summiting Through Struggles: from a middle class to the top of the world
• Mind Over Mountain: Mental Strength while climbing big mountain
• Turning Dreams into Reality: A Testament to Determination