WHAT’S YOUR LIMIT?

Stanzin Laskit

We are finally coming up with the journey and experiences of the last one of the four brave girls from our state who summited the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest, back in 2016, Stanzin Laskit. We have already learnt about other three of them- Tashi Laskit, Rigzen Dolker and Tsering Angmo, who made Jammu and Kashmir proud, being among 10 female cadets of age ranging from 18-22 years, who were part of the first-ever all girls expedition of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) that scaled the highest peak of the world, the Everest. These four girls made it through every test and hurdle during their training and summited what is only a dream for many of us.
Getting selected for this special group was in itself a great achievement for each of the one hundred cadets who made it to the trials for the expedition, held pan-India. These cadets then underwent a special mountain course at HMI, Darjeeling; fifteen cadets were selected for the next phase based on their performance. In August 2015, the team set off on the second pre-Everest expedition to Mount Trishul (23,360 ft), and from fifteen, ten girl cadets were selected for the Everest Expedition, post which the cadets underwent a month-long intensive winter training at the world's highest battlefield in Siachen Glacier, at the Indian Army's Siachen Battle School, before setting course for Nepal.
The expedition succeeded in two consecutive days as two batches comprising of five girls each, scaled the peak on May 21 at 11:00 am and May 22 at 07:40 am. The expedition comprised of cadets namely- Rigzen Dolker, Tashi Kaskit, Trishala Gurung, Stanzin Laskit, Pooja Mehra, Baljeet Kaur, Lalrint Luangi, Tsering Angmo, Sulaxchana Tamang and Kumari Nutan.

Back to Stanzin, who is not only youngest among the four but among all 10 of the cadets who made it to the top of the world. How cool is that?
Stanzin was born in the April of 1998, to Tsering Dolkar, a house-maker and Tsering Dorjay, a farmer, in village Ney of Ladakh. Despite being brought up in limited resources and tough terrain, Stanzin is optimistic and courageous who believes in availing every opportunity that come her way, regardless of the oddities.
It was such spirit that led her to join NCC when she was in class 11 and in a while got selected for the basic training for the expedition about which she had no idea initially. Stanzin expresses, “For me it was a general event and training that NCC cadets are selected for; I had no clue that it was such an extraordinary event. When I learnt that we were being trained for first-ever all girls expedition of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) that scaled the highest peak of the world, I was excited and intimidated at same time.”
From being among thousands of female cadets sieved pan-India, to hundreds who got basic training at Darjeeling Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) to being among 40 female cadets who got filtered for pre-advance expedition in Manali (Mt. Deo Tibba), to being one of the 20 girls cadet who got selected for expedition in Uttrakhand (Mt. Trishul), then finally being among 10 girls NCC cadets who made it to the final training stage, Siachen Glacier training at the Indian Army’s Siachen Battle School, Stanzin hopped beyond each stone hurled and crossed several physical and mental thresholds she had in mind, in order to find herself at the highest point of the world.
According to Stanzin, being youngest among all other selected cadets, came with no perks or disadvantages. She elaborates, “Nature is indifferent; It blesses everyone and curses everyone equally, so being the youngest was immaterial.”
She further shares her most dreaded experience of the expedition. She says, “Climbing up was extremely difficult but getting back down was levels above. Being exhausted and sleepy, I not only slept while walking, which could have been fatal but also experienced snow blindness. Looking back at it, I still shudder but the experience was worth it.”
Stanzin reminisces that initially her parents were not allowing her to go for the expedition when they got aware of the threat to the life but after much convincing they agreed half heartedly. She shares, “Even though they resisted when I had to go, they welcomed me back along with the others with open arms and eyes filled with pride.”
According to Stanzin, meeting the Prime-minister, President, Chief-minister and other dignitaries and being appreciated, applauded and encouraged by them, was an experience to behold for life time. Now, she is looking forward to more such experiences and accomplishments in her life.
Stanzin is looking forward to become a bachelor degree holder in Physical Education, being inclined towards sports now. According to her, whole paradigm of career and success has shifted post her Mt. Everest experience. She says, “Now, I want to pursue sports and I dream to be in defence force someday, which I would not have thought of even in my strangest dreams. The experience has opened new doors for me and I am aiming to take up every opportunity that I come across, for which I would not hesitate to take up any challenge either.”
Stanzin still misses her training days, despite of the extreme hardships she had to go through along with the others to not only train but to summit the Mt. Everest. She shares, “I loved travelling to different places for the pre-expedition expeditions. Even today, I miss trekking with other cadets. When only 10 of us were left behind, the fact that we were all together in something extraordinary, made us bond like sisters. The whole experience was priceless.”
To the women around, words of Stanzin are, “During my journey, in spite of the hardships, the thought that it is impossible to reach the destination never crossed my mind, and I believe that, not doubting yourself is the first and most crucial step towards your goal. Yes, you might fail but that should not mean that you lose hope and give up your dreams, passion, and goals.”