Arunima Sinha – The First Woman Amputee to Scale Mount Vinson

Arunima Sinha, a name etched in the history of resilience and inspiration, has once again proved that no obstacle is too great when determination leads the way. Known for being the world’s first female amputee to climb Mount Everest, Arunima Sinha added another incredible milestone to her record by becoming the first woman amputee to scale Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica. Her achievement not only showcases her unmatched physical strength but also serves as a powerful message to the world: disability is not a limitation, but a challenge to be overcome. Arunima Sinha’s story continues to ignite the flame of courage, hope, and perseverance in millions, especially women and the differently-abled, across the globe.

About Arunima Sinha

Early Life & Tragedy

Born on July 20, 1989, in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Arunima was a national-level volleyball player with dreams of joining the paramilitary. In April 2011, she was thrown from a moving train during a robbery attempt. A passing train crushed her left leg, resulting in amputation. Despite severe injuries, she resolved to remediate her life.

Turning Point & Mountaineering Dream

While recovering at AIIMS, she drew inspiration from Yuvraj Singh’s battle with cancer and committed herself to mountaineering. Training under Bachendri Pal at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, she prepared rigorously—climbing Nepal’s Island Peak among others—proving her grit.

Conquering Everest & the Seven Summits

On May 21, 2013, she became the first female amputee to reach Everest’s summit after a 52‑day expedition. She continued to conquer other continental peaks: Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Kosciuszko, Aconcagua, Denali, and Carstensz Pyramid.

Historic Mount Vinson Summit

On January 1, 2019, Arunima Sinha achieved another world record by climbing Mount Vinson—the highest peak in Antarctica—becoming the first female amputee to do so. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Excellent! Congratulations … She is the pride of India”.

Awards & Philanthropy

She was honoured with India’s Padma Shri (2015) and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. Arunima founded a sports academy for the underprivileged and differently‑abled in Lucknow and established the Arunima Foundation, dedicating her success to empowering others.

Inspiring Legacy

Her life stands as a testament: “I do not believe in luck, I believe the luck comes to someone who has the desire to live”, wired.com. Arunima continues to motivate through public speaking, her autobiography Born Again on the Mountain, and relentless work supporting disabled athletes.

She achieved something which even able-bodied people find difficult to do. Arunima Sinha lost her leg in a horrific incident a few years ago. But nothing could stop Arunima Sinha from achieving her goal and she proved that disability is not an obstacle to success.

Biography Of Arunima Sinha

How Arunima Sinha Achieved Success?

Arunima Sinha, a symbol of resilience and unshakable will, turned a devastating tragedy into one of the most inspiring success stories in the world. Her extraordinary journey from the railway tracks to the world’s highest peaks is a powerful reminder that human courage knows no limits. With her latest milestone, she became the first woman amputee to summit Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, a feat that cements her place among the world’s most fearless mountaineers.

The Tragic Incident That Changed Her Life

On April 12, 2011, Arunima Sinha boarded the Padmavati Express from Lucknow to Delhi to appear for a CISF recruitment exam. But fate had a brutal twist in store. Robbers tried to snatch her bag and gold chain. When she resisted, they pushed her off the moving train. She landed on the railway tracks, and in the next moment, another train on the parallel track crushed her left leg below the knee. What followed was a nightmarish ordeal—she lay unattended on the tracks for 14 hours, with no help in sight. Finally, someone took her to a hospital where she underwent surgery without anaesthesia. Her left leg was amputated below the knee.

Most would have crumbled under such trauma, but not Arunima. From that hospital bed in AIIMS, New Delhi, she made a promise to herself—she would climb Mount Everest.

Determination Beyond Pain: The Climb to Everest

While recovering, Arunima came across stories of mountaineering and was deeply inspired by Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. With sheer grit, she contacted Pal and trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. Despite her prosthetic leg and painful recovery, she refused to let her physical limitation define her. Her determination paid off on May 21, 2013, when she reached the summit of Mount Everest in her very first attempt—a feat few able-bodied climbers achieve.

Climbing the World’s Highest Peaks

But Arunima’s mission didn’t end with Everest. She set her sights on conquering the highest peaks of all seven continents, known as the “Seven Summits.” After Everest, she climbed:

• Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa
• Mount Elbrus in Europe
• Mount Kosciuszko in Australia
• Mount Aconcagua in South America
• Mount Denali in North America

Her final challenge was the treacherous Mount Vinson in Antarctica, known for its brutal, icy winds and sub-zero temperatures.

Historic Victory at Mount Vinson

On January 4, 2019, Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee in the world to scale Mount Vinson. The conditions were extremely harsh, with howling winds and freezing temperatures. Yet, nothing could shake her determination. She hoisted the Indian flag once again, proving that no peak is too high when you dare to rise. Her feat was hailed across the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally congratulating her, calling her the “pride of India.”

Legacy and Recognition

For her courage and achievements, Arunima Sinha has received several honours, including the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. She authored her autobiography, Born Again on the Mountain, which details her journey from the darkest moments of her life to the highest altitudes of human triumph. She also established the Arunima Foundation, which supports the underprivileged and differently-abled, helping them lead empowered lives

Arunima Sinha, the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013, has now become the first woman amputee to climb Mount Vinson (the highest peak of Antarctica). Credits: The Indian Express

Arunima Sinha On Mount Everest

How Arunima Sinha Lost Her Leg?

This is the story she told in the below video. You can watch the video to learn about how she did the impossible summiting the Everest in her first attempt with a prosthetic leg.

Quote:

In 2011, I was thrown out of a running train by some robbers. I have also been a volleyball champion. In 2011, I was wearing a gold chain, and some robbers threw me out of a running train, I was travelling from Lucknow to Delhi.

It was a general compartment, and there were a lot of people – nobody tried to intervene. It’s in the spirit of a player to not easily let go, not even after struggle. Even I resisted, there were four to five of them, and they threw me out of a running train. It was unfortunate that at the same time, another train was passing on the adjacent track. I first banged into that train and then fell on the tracks. Both the trains passed. After a while, when I tried to lift myself up and saw that my leg had been cut off. I lifted my thigh and saw it was hanging with the jeans, blood flowing profusely. The bones of the other leg were all broken and had come out.

All night I kept shouting in pain on the tracks, there are small rocks there…crying for help. Nobody came to rescue me. All night shouting so much that I could no longer see. When a train used to pass the track would vibrate. Not only that, some had got a free invitation –– you must have seen small rats on the railway tracks. They were now chewing on my injured leg.

My brain consciousness was working – I was fully aware, but there was no movement in my body. Every second I was thinking how I could save myself. The whole night passed, and in the morning, some villagers took me to Bareilly District Hospital in UP. This is where it happened.

In the morning, when the villagers took me to the district hospital, the pharmacist, doctor, and everyone were all discussing among themselves that they did not have anaesthesia or blood –and if they started my treatment, how could they start?

Though I couldn’t see, I could hear all of this. From where I got the strength, even I don’t know, I said, “Sir, my whole leg is crushed, and for so long I was on the tracks and I endured the pain, but for my good, you will now cut off my leg”.

Maybe you won’t believe this, or you would have never seen this before –that a doctor or pharmacist donated their blood to save a patient. After hearing what I had to say, the doctor and pharmacist both gave a unit of blood each and amputated my leg without any anaesthesia. Even today, I feel that pain. Every time I speak, I feel all that pain.

After that…When the media found out, people got to know that Arunima was a national player. I was then admitted to KGMC – King George Medical College in Lucknow. From Lucknow to AIIMS Trauma Centre in Delhi, on Sports Minister’s intervention. Everything was going fine, because of being a player I started getting good treatment.

For about four months I was being treated at AIIMS. After AIIMS, as I started getting better after about 25 days, I looked at the newspapers, all twisted stories – “Arunima didn’t have a train ticket, and jumped off a train” “she was rejected by her family,” and even, “Arunima attempted suicide.”

For a girl whose limb had been amputated, the future is unknown – whether she’ll be in a wheelchair or on crutches. To the extent that my spine had three fractures, I didn’t even know if I would ever get off the bed. You can only imagine what must be going through my heart and mind. You can imagine the situation of the family whose young girl is going through such a situation. They say – “Where is a will, there is a way.”

On the bed at AIIMS, I decided – I was shouting out what I had to say, everything that was happening was at such a high level, and I, being from a middle-class family, was shouting out what I had to say, but nobody was listening. They say… From my heart, mind and soul, I made a decision– It’s okay, today is your day to say how much and whatever you want to say. One day it will be my turn, and I will prove who I am……prove who I was.

On the hospital bed, I decided, not volleyball but life’s most difficult game –I then chose mountaineering. To say and to do – there is a huge difference. When I first thought about mountaineering and shared it with people, the biggest thing was to get training under proper guidance.

Unquote

Arunima Sinha’s Mount Everest Journey

Watch the full video as she takes us along on her inspiring success journey in this passionate talk. 

How many mountains did Arunima Sinha conquer?

Never stop believing in yourself, and success will always accompany you.

She aimed to climb all the continents’ highest peaks and hoist the national flag of India. She has done it and proved what she said: ” The day your inner-self is awakened toward any goal, nobody can stop you from reaching that goal.”

This is the spirit, this is the sentence young people have to keep in mind and move forward to achieve success. Never allow obstacles to break your success in life.

Conclusion

Arunima Sinha defied all the odds and achieved her goal which is unthinkable to many. She has become an inspiration for millions of people who are physically disabled or handicapped. The leg is required to climb the highest peaks, but she proved that what is needed most is a brave heart. Her courage, determination and dedication played an important role in achieving her goal.

Let us salute her impeccable achievement with pride.

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References: Wikipedia

Images Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9v_J34Fyo [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Mathukutty P. V.

Mathukutty P. V. is the founder of Simply Life Tips, a blogger, content writer, influencer, and YouTuber passionate about learning and sharing. Guided by “Simple Living, Creative Thinking,” he believes in the power of knowledge sharing and lifelong learning.

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