By IANS,
New Delhi : The sports ministry Friday selected four from adventure sports for the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu, Mamta Sodha, Dilip Donde and the late Balwant Singh Sandhu have been named for this year’s award.
Reena became the first Indian woment to ski 900 km, from coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. She did some high altitude trekking in the Pindari Valley, Milam Valley and Ralam Valley while working as an instructor.
Sodha scaled Mount Everest in 2010. Among other peaks she summitted are Island Peak (20589 ft), Shri Kanth Peak (20422 ft), Mun Peak (16000 ft), Phawara Rang Peak (21441 ft). She has also climbed Mount Everest- Eco Expedition- 29038 ft.
Donde has sailed solo on INSV Mhadei undertaking solo circumnavigation of the earth round the “Three Great Capes” in 273 days, which is a significant and rare achievement. He is the first Indian to circumnavigate the earth solo and under sails and 175th person in the world to achieve this feat.
Sandhu also had an excellent record and will be awarded for life time achievement. He was a devoted mountaineer and had actively encouraged young people to the outdoor adventure. He was instrumental in introduction of IMF Annual Alpine Style climbing camps and continued to oversee these till the last.
Sandhu had climbed and trekked for over 50 years in most ranges of the Himalayas, made the most number of first ascents of difficult peaks, including the first ascents of Changabanga (6,870m) in Garhwal Himalaya in 1974, and of Phawara Rang (6,570m) in Spiti in 1977.