Mountain maidens: Premlata Agarwal with Bachendri Pal in Delhi after her Everest success last year

The challenges are tall, her ideals taller, but her determination the tallest.

Premlata Agarwal — who aborted her attempt at North America’s highest peak Mt McKinley just an hour from the summit to save an Australian fellow climber last month — is now eyeing dormant volcano Mt Elbrus, whose tricky terrain claims over two dozen lives every year.

If she succeeds, she will be just three peaks away from her ambitious Seven Summits conquest — a feat never achieved by any Indian woman.

At 18,510ft, Elbrus is the loftiest summit of Russia’s Caucasus mountain range. While there are differing authorities on how the Caucasus are distributed between Europe and Asia, many agree that Elbrus is also the highest mountain in all of Europe or the highest in western Asia, narrowly exceeding another volcano, Mt Damavand in the Alborz range in Iran.

The 46-year-old mother of two from Jamshedpur’s Jugsalai will leave city for Calcutta on August 2. She will fly to Moscow a couple of days later.

Premlata, who last year became one of the oldest women in the world to conquer Mt Everest, has kept herself in fine fettle for the climb ahead. “I jog and do yoga. I also simulate uphill and downhill climbs with weights at the JRD Tata Sports Complex galleries. These, I believe, will come in handy. Mt Elbrus does not seem technically difficult, but is known to be physically arduous because of elevations and frequent strong winds. I am keeping a positive attitude and hope to annexe the peak,” she said.

A full-time homemaker when she isn’t jumping from peak to peak, Premlata has received a 15-day permit to stay in Russia. “I will start my climb on August 5 and hope to finish by August 19. It normally takes 10 to 11 days up and down,” she said, adding that she is the only Indian in the 10-member team for the Mt Elbrus expedition.

The McKinley setback notwithstanding, Premlata will inch a step closer to her dream of conquering the Seven Summits, the seven highest peaks of the world. She has already scaled three — Mt Everest (29,029ft) in Asia, Mt Kilimanjaro (19,334ft) in Africa and Mt Aconcagua (22,960ft) in South America. She targets Carstensz Pyramid (16,024ft) in Indonesia in October and Vinson Massif (16,050ft) in Antarctica in December this year.

“I will try to peak Mt McKinley once again next year. Bad weather and concern for a fellow climber, who developed severe frostbites, had prompted me to abandon trek last month. I hope to make to the summit at 20,320ft next time,” the experienced climber said.

Anyone who conquers the Seven Summits is considered a member of the hall of fame for mountaineers. Premlata had set 2012 as her deadline for climbing the remaining four peaks. Though the time may stretch a bit, she will become the first Indian woman and one of the oldest in the world to conquer the seven highest peaks.

Premlata thanked Tata Steel for sponsoring her dream. “I am grateful to Tata Steel and company vice-president Sanjeev Paul for encouraging me and egging me on. I will remain indebted to the steel major forever,” she said.

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