Quick Facts
Biography
Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu (Hindi: रीना कौशल धर्मशक्तू, born early 1970s) is the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole.
Early life
Reena was born into a Hindu family from Punjab. Her father was a Punjabi while her mother was from Uttar Pradesh. She grew up in Darjeeling. She attended mountaineering courses at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. She has taken part in and led several expeditions in the Himalayas. Her husband, Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu is also a successful mountaineer, who has reached the summit of Mount Everest five times, besides climbing more than 38 other peaks.
Achievements
On December 29, 2009, Reena made the historic ski-run as part of an eight-woman Commonwealth team (the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition) which crossed a 900 kilometer Antarctic ice trek to reach the South Pole, marking 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth.