Three Bangladeshi women successfully summit Chulu Far East
Three Bangladeshi women mountaineers have successfully scaled Chulu Far East, a 6,059-metre peak in Nepal's Annapurna range, marking the country's first winter ascent by women of a mountain over 6,000 metres, organisers said.
The expedition was conducted under the banner "Sultana's Dream Unbound", inspired by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's pioneering feminist science fiction "Sultana's Dream", which was included last year in UNESCO's Memory of the World Regional Register for Asia and the Pacific, according to a press release.
The climb was part of the Women's Winter Expedition 2025 – Season Two, organised to celebrate global recognition of Bengali women's literary and intellectual heritage. Bangladesh's women-led winter mountaineering initiative was launched for the first time last year and continued this year with a second expedition.
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The team was led by Nishat Majumder, Bangladesh's first woman to summit Mount Everest. The other two members were Tahura Sultana Rekha and Yasmin Lisa. Nusrat Jahan Fabiha, a mentee of the "Trek with Nishat 2025" programme, was part of the trekking team.
With financial support from Mastercard Bangladesh, the expedition targeted two peaks above 6,000 metres in the Annapurna Himal. The team initially attempted Pisung Peak on 7 December but was forced to turn back just over 200 metres short of the summit due to adverse conditions.
Following the setback, the team regrouped and launched a fresh attempt on Chulu Far East. They successfully reached the summit at 7:19am on 15 December, according to the organisers.
On the eve of Victory Day on 16 December, the climbers paid tribute from the Himalayan summit to the three million martyrs and 2,00,000 Biranganas of the 1971 Liberation War. They also remembered Begum Rokeya, regarded as a pioneer of women's emancipation in Bengal.
The expedition was supported by the Liberation War Museum, endorsed by the UNESCO Dhaka Office, and implemented by youth adventure organisation Avijatri.
Organisers said the objective of the expedition was to celebrate the resilience, imagination and courage of Bangladeshi women.
