A lady from Kodagu has successfully climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain peak of Russia. She is Bhavani, daughter of Tekkada Nanjunda and Parvathi couple from Perooru in Napoklu, Kodagu District.

Mount Elbrus is not technically a mountain but is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, near the Georgian border in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay–Cherkessia, Russia.

With an elevation of 18,510 feet (5,642 meters), it is part of the Caucasus Range that straddles Asia and Europe, although most geographers place it in Europe. It is the 10^th highest peak in Europe.

Bhavani took eight hours and plenty of determination to climb the peak. She began the climb at midnight on Oct. 18 and reached the top at 9.30 am on Oct. 19. Bhavani, who has immense interest in mountaineering, also wants to climb Mount Everest some day.

She had set out to scale the peak alongside three climbers from Mexico, France and Romania. They were trained for three days in Russia before tackling the climb.

A teacher at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute of Darjeeling, Bhavani was the first of the four to reach the top of the snow-capped peak.

An alumnus of Srimangala J.C. English Medium School and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Galibeedu, Bhavani completed her graduation at St. Agnes College in Mangaluru. She was always an outdoor person and took a healthy interest in adventure sport.

Bhavani also got credit as the fastest lady from India to scale this mountain. Her success has become sweeter for the reason that she reached the mountain peak ahead of the other three, all of whom were men.

In her high school and college, Bhavani was part of the NCC and had participated in the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi in 2016. She has also participated in All India Air Force Sainik camp in Jodhpur.

She received her primary training in mountaineering at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering Allied Sports in Manali and pursued a higher training course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute of Darjeeling.

Bhavani is the only woman who completed several of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute’s activities successfully.