‘Pushed to death, but I made it': Tamil Nadu woman scales all 7 continental peaks, survives storm atop Denali

N Muthamizh Selvi, a Japanese teacher from Tamil Nadu, has become the first person from her state to conquer the Seven Summits, completing the challenge with her ascent of Mount McKinley.
CHENNAI: On June 16, atop North America's Mount McKinley, N Muthamizh Selvi became the first person from Tamil Nadu to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents.
A native of Johilpatti village in Virudhunagar district, Muthamizh Selvi teaches Japanese in Chennai. Her great climb began in May 2023 when she became the first woman from Tamil Nadu to scale
Mount Everest
.
And in just the next two years, she would complete the 'Seven Summits' challenge Europe's Mount Elbrus (July 2023) Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro (Sept 2023) South America's Mount Aconcagua (Feb 2024) Australia's Mount Kosciuszko (March 2024) Antartica's Mount Vinson (Dec 2024) and finally Mount McKinley.
Called Denali by Native American people, meaning 'the tall one', it's where Muthamizh Selvi faced some of her biggest challenges.
"I had to carry an 80kg bag with me. It would keep pushing me backwards," she told TOI. "And after reaching the summit, we had to sleep there, in the freezing cold, without a tent, for 16 hours straight because of heavy winds."
And that, Muthamizh Selvi says, pushed her close to death. "I developed a splitting headache because of the winds. If I had bled, that would have been my end. It's a miracle I survived," she said.
Muthamizh Selvi climbed the mountain with Shaikh Hassan Khan who works for the Kerala secretariat.
"When we were caught in the storm, Shaikh contacted Kerala govt through his satellite phone, after which Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan alerted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We then found Indian Embassy staff waiting for us at the base camp with medical aid," Muthamizh Selvi said. "We had to walk for 18 hours to reach the base camp.
"
It took almost 2 crore for Muthamizh Selvi to scale the seven mountains. She was supported by state development authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).
Hailing Muthamizh Selvi's achievement, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi posted on X: "It is an inspiration for crores of women in India to reach their peaks."

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