Samina Baig
Born in 1990 in Shimshal village, Gilgit Baltistan, Samina Baig is a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer who in 2013 climbed Mount Everest. She is the first and only Pakistani woman to climb Everest and the Seven Summits. She is also the youngest Muslim woman to climb Mount Everest, having done so at the age of 21. Samina was the first to climb the peak Chashkin Sar (above 6,000 meters) in Pakistan in 2010, which was later renamed Samina Peak after her.
In an exclusive interview with Matrix Mag, Samina shares her struggle, achievements and aspirations.
How it all the began
Since childhood, I was very fond of mountain climbing. I remember when I was in Grade 4, my brother used to tell me stories about mountain climbing. So it all began from there. But, my dream came true in 2010 when I actually started mountain climbing along with my brother. When I set off for my first expedition, I did not have enough knowledge regarding mountaineering but I went on my first adventure at that time to climb an inclined peak that was 6000 feet high.
Summiting Chashkin Sar
I still vividly remember, when I reached the summit of Chashkin Sar, I could not believe I had done it. It was an incredible moment for me and I can never forget it. Because I did not have enough knowledge regarding mountaineering initially, succeeding in climbing that peak was quite an achievement for me personally. Being a village girl, dreaming of mountaineering was quite an impossible task for me but everyone encouraged me. After I climbed the mountain, my team members too admired my effort and named the peak in my name i.e. Samina Peak. It felt absolutely beautiful to have a mountain named after me in my own beloved country- meaning my name will live forever. This further fueled my passion for mountaineering and ignited the fire within me for continuing what I had started.
Mountaineering a male sport?
Mountaineering is a totally male dominated sport in Pakistan. My success therefore has not only strengthened my belief in myself but has also paved way for other girls to pursue their dreams in this field. Let me share though that it is not an easy sport at all and needs a lot of hard work, commitment and support from family and relevant institutions.
I give full credit of my success to my family, especially my brothers who are behind my success and achievements. My four brothers have supported me at every step. My brother summiting alongside me kept motivating me throughout. We were each others strength and support. When I felt tired or demotivated, my brother would encourage me and vice versa. My brother and I doing the summit together also sent a very strong message to all that if your family supports, anything can be achieved in life.
Breaking Clichés
For me, the real struggle began with my mission to climb Mount Everest in 2013. The mission was to climb Everest on its 60th anniversary. The training went on for three years and when I finally climbed the Mount Everest, it completely changed my life. But, it also changed the perception of Pakistani women abroad. It also challenged the cliché about Pakistani women being “vulnerable” and “confined”.
What exactly does one require to be in this field?
I want to share that when you intend to climb a mountain you have to overpower your fears. Banish those fears from heart and mind, because mountain climbing is extremely challenging. I believe that mountain climbing is not about winning or losing but is a matter of life and death. You have to be well prepared for any eventuality before going on such expeditions.
I keep my feelings in control and remain prepared for any possibility- experience an avalanche, rock fall, crevasse fallor harsh weather ahead. Though we take safety measures besides mentally preparing ourselves to overcome any mishaps, yet we often face health hazards like headaches, nausea and shortening of breath due to low oxygen levels but, it is part of the adventure and we are prepared for it.
I still recall that when I was on my quest at Chashkin Sar, as I got close to the summit my right leg got numb and I thought that I can’t do this but people with me boosted my morale. I then thought that I had worked real hard to get to this point. My brother at this point gave me every possible aid to stand up on my feet again and reach the top.
Fear of climbing
I am often asked about how do I feel when I look down while climbing. After these many years, I have sort of overcome my fear of climbing and am not afraid of heights anymore but, I remember when for the first time I climbed Everest and when we were crossing Khumbu Icefall, there were iron ladders over the crevasses so when you’re crossing those it certainly gives you jitters because those crevasses are very deep. So while doing that initially I felt afraid and was trembling but after crossing it, I felt quite normal.
On gender empowerment:
I really want women to be empowered in Pakistan. Also, I want women to be treated equally in all fields including sports. I wish that sports to be promoted rigorously in Pakistan, not just cricket but all the sports because we have a great amount of potential among our youth in Pakistan. All they need is to be motivated, encouraged and given proper opportunities to thrive. Often people lag behind and do not come forward because of the lack of support and opportunities.
Memorable moments
My journey till now has been vigorous but fantastic. Everest till now is the most memorable one and one of my tremendous achievements. And about seven summits, people are not much aware about those so far, so being the first youngest Muslim Pakistani woman, I have done all seven mountains and have swayed Pakistan’s flag on each of them. The voyage of seven summits was a remarkable experience as we had set a target to complete it in 8 months. So Antarctica, South America, North America and Africa; we summited these peaks in eight months and it was mind blowing.
My Inspiration
I am very much inspired by Edurne Pasaban, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner- the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousand and above peaks without supplementary oxygen and Mike Horn etc.
Government’s Support
Recently, the government has taken a lot of initiatives to promote tourism in Pakistan which is great because it was really needed. Tourism was fairly bad because of the security issues and the visa olicies which were quite restrictive. Tourists had to face a lot of challenges and hence they refrained from visiting Pakistan during the past decade or so but now the current government is working hard to revive and promote tourism in Pakistan.
Future Plans
Next thing in pipeline is K-2; which is the toughest peak. Though it is the second highest peak but it’s very arduous in every aspect plus it is very steep, weather is harsh and secondly there is no manpower on K-2 so I think it’s the most challenging peak. It is called the“mountain of mountaineers”.It’s been two years that I am planning for K-2 since it is my ultimate dream.
