Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik were the First Twins To Climb Mount Everest and conquered side by side many of the tallest mountains in the world, including the seven summits. They are also the first twins ever to reach the South and North Poles and accomplish the Adventurers Grand Slam and Three Poles Challenge. Not only were they the first female twins to do so, but they were also the youngest among all the climbers who have ever done so. This also gave them the title of Guinness World Record holders for the youngest people (and first twins) to accomplish the Explorers Grand Slam (ascending the world’s seven highest mountains, including Everest, and skiing to the North and South Poles). Hailing from a family with an army father, these two have always been a bit of adventurer paired with nationality and feelings towards peace. They have proved their potential when they did what no one else had before them.
Everest Twins Tashi and Nungshi have truly inspired not just other twins and pairs who have the potential to move mountains together but also communities of women who want to defy the odds and stereotypes set by, most particularly, the South Asian society. Make sure to read till the end of this article to learn more about Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik!
Who are Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik?
Everest Twins Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik are the first female twins ever to climb Mount Everest. They were born on June 21, 1991, in Anwali Sonipat district of Haryana, India, to an Indian Army officer, Col. Virendra Singh Malik, and his wife, Anjoo Thapa. After their father retired from the Indian Army, the twins, along with their family, settled in Dehradun.
Tashi and Nungshi had to change several schools throughout their childhood because of their father’s work and placements. They have been to schools in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Manipur, which also includes Lawrence School, Lovedale, near Ootacamund. They graduated with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Sikkim Manipal University in 2013.
They also hold a certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Training in Vermont, United States. Similarly, with their keen interest in sports and adventures, they also enrolled and graduated in Sport and Exercise from Southern Institute of Technology, Invercargill, New Zealand.
Among the two, Nungshi Malik is now married to Avinash Jacob Varghese, whom she married on April 13th, 2023, in her hometown, Dehradun. The couple have now moved to Invercargill, New Zealand, and have been living there.
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik On Mount Everest
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik succeeded in climbing Mount Everest in 2013 when they were barely even 21. They trained at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2010 for their climb. Samina Baig joined them in their prideful feat in 2013. They became not only the youngest but also the first female twins to climb Mount Everest. Upon reaching the peak, they put up a flag of not just India but also their neighboring country, Pakistan. This was to symbolize peace and friendship among the nations.
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik Explorers Grand Slam, Seven Summits, and the Three Pole Challenge
The twins gained the spirit to do more after they accomplished climbing the world’s tallest mountain. On 15 July 2015, they completed the Explorers Grand Slam. Their next mission really did not take more than a year, and needless to say, their determination helped them succeed in their goals twice.
Tashi and Nungshi went on to become the first youngest twins to excel in the Three Pole Challenge, where they skied to the North and South Poles. They are also the first and youngest female twins who have climbed all the Seven Summits. As for the Explorers Grand Slam, they are the first people in the whole of South Asia to complete it.
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik’s Other Achievements
Besides climbing the Seven Summits in the world, the Everest twins are the first female pair to climb Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tallest peak and a virgin peak at 21000 ft situated in the Indian Himalayas. In 2019, Tashi and Nungshi became a part of the ever-difficult Eco Challenge Fiji hosted by adventurer Bear Grylls. The challenge is also known as the “Olympics of Adventure.” Their motto during this event was ‘Gender Equality Now: Fight Female Feticide.’ Both of them grew up in a society where there was a great amount of patriarchy in just about any field, especially the adventures. Hence, they finally found an opportunity to prove that there really can be no difference between the capabilities of a male and a female through this challenge.
The race lasted for 24 hours and included various adventure sports, from mountain biking to paddle boarding. In the podcast by The Outdoor Journal Podcast called “ Nash and Tash,” they said, “Ocean navigation was one of the most challenging obstacles for us as a team because we had never been out on the ocean, never had canoed together, never done paddling before, so there were things that we were quite anxious about. It was [also] the first time I was even getting to paddleboard. Obviously, we had no training in India, so we just went into the race knowing that we were going to pull it off, which we did. It was not until the time that we were on the course that we realized we had as much potential within us as we did as a team.”
Besides just this, they are also motivational speakers who especially advocate women’s empowerment in the field of sports and adventure. In 2015, they also established a foundation known as the NunghsiTashi Foundation, which helps in bettering the lives of girls in India through the outdoors.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Everest Twins (FAQs)
Where are Tashi and Nungshi Malik from?
Tashi and Nungshi Malik are from Haryana state in India.
Who was the Pakistani girl who climbed Mount Everest with Tashi and Nungshi Malik?
It was Samina Baig who climbed Mount Everest with Tashi and Nungshi Malik.
How many Guinness Records do Tashi and Nungshi Malik have?
Tashi and Nungshi Malik have 9 Guinness Records in total.
Where are Tashi and Nungshi Malik now?
Tashi Malik lives in India, while Nungshi Malik lives with her husband in New Zealand.
Which awards have Tashi and Nungshi Malik won?
Tashi and Nungshi Malik have won the Leif Erikson Young Explorers Award in Iceland, the Nari Shakti Puraskar, and India’s highest adventure honor, the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.’
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