A Journey Rooted in Grit and Dreams
Born in Balak village near Barwala in Haryana’s Hisar district, Reena Bhatti’s story is not just one of ambition—it’s a saga of grit, endurance, and unbreakable spirit. The daughter of a humble tractor mechanic, Reena grew up surrounded by agricultural fields, far removed from snow-capped peaks. But it was among these simple surroundings that she first dreamt of touching the sky—literally.
Today, she stands tall as one of India’s most accomplished female mountaineers, having summited 23 peaks across the globe, including Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse—and that too, in record-breaking time.
Breaking Records: The Everest-Lhotse Dash
In a feat that stunned the Indian mountaineering community, Reena Bhatti scaled Mount Everest (8,849 meters) and Mount Lhotse (8,516 meters)—the fourth-highest mountain in the world—within just 20.5 hours in 2023. This made her the fastest Indian female mountaineer to complete this formidable double summit.
What makes this achievement even more incredible is the harsh terrain, high-altitude risks, and extreme weather conditions between the two peaks—something only the most elite climbers in the world dare to attempt in a single push.
Hoisting the Tricolour Across Continents
Reena’s achievements aren’t confined to the Himalayas. Her adventures have taken her across continents, where she’s continued to wave the Indian flag from dizzying heights:
- Mount Elbrus, Russia (2022): On August 15, India’s Independence Day, Reena scaled both the western (5,642 m) and eastern (5,621 m) summits of Mount Elbrus—Europe’s highest peak—within 24 hours, under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative.
- Peak Lenin, Kyrgyzstan: She became the first Indian woman to summit the challenging Peak Lenin (7,134 m), also known as one of the “Snow Leopard” peaks due to its extreme alpine difficulty.
- Ladakh Twin Peaks Blitz: In an astonishing 70-hour burst of determination and stamina, Reena summited Mount Kang Yatse (6,270 m) and Mount Dzo Jongo (6,240 m), placing the tricolour on both peaks in Ladakh’s harsh, high-altitude desert terrain.
More Than a Climber: A Symbol of Strength and Inspiration
Reena Bhatti isn’t just a mountaineer—she’s a movement, especially for young women in rural India. With no elite training facilities or sponsors in her early days, she relied on sheer willpower and personal discipline to train her body and mind.
Her story is now encouraging a generation of girls to dream beyond societal limits. She often speaks to youth groups and students, reminding them:
“Girls not only dream, but they also have the courage to fulfill those dreams.”
National Recognition and Impact
In recognition of her contribution to Indian adventure sports, Reena has received multiple accolades, including the Sir Chhotu Ram Memorial Bharat Gaurav Award, which celebrates excellence in emerging and inspirational talent from Haryana.
She has also become a symbol of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ movement in spirit, proving how far girls from small towns can go when empowered with opportunity and belief.
Reena Bhatti’s journey from a small village in Haryana to some of the world’s most dangerous and iconic summits is not just an achievement in mountaineering—it is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit. Her life is a blueprint for courage, reminding us that the sky isn’t the limit—it’s only the beginning.