Actress Sukhi Bal summits a tough peak,eyes the Everest next

For actress Sukhi Bal, the most challenging role of her life has unfolded not under studio lights, but at 6,812 metres above sea level, on one of the Himalayas’ most technically tough peaks.The Punjab-born, Australia-based actress has recently summited the Mount Ama Dablam in Nepal. Besides loads of enthusiasm, at the top, Bal carried something precious- photographs of her parents."I told my father — this is 6,812 metres, one of the most technical peaks," says Bal who lost her father who had inspired her to climb mountains, some years ago. She adds, "I felt his presence on top. My dad, Sardar Ranjit Singh, was the seed of it all with his passion for mountains all his life, he passed his wonder for the peaks on to me long before I could lace a pair of hiking boots.”Two and a half years ago she began exploring trekking as a serious sport. Last year she completed the Everest Base Camp trek and summited Labouche Peak (6,119m).Her training regimen was gruelling, equally mentally and physically. “Mentally, you have to be 110% present. Physically you can be tired, but if you are mentally strong, you can pull yourself up. On a climb of seven, eight, sometimes nine hours — that is only possible through willpower and mental strength,” she adds.

Her mentor, Malkit Singh — a fellow Punjabi from New Zealand who summited Everest two years ago — guided her early steps. It was he who first advised her to visit Everest Base Camp, a trip that set everything else in motion. Based in Australia, Bal returns to India every year for film and theatre projects, work she has sustained since her student days at Punjabi University, Patiala, where she completed a Master's in Political Science.

She moved to Australia in 2007 intending to stay two years. "Acting is my first passion, my first love," she says. "But I had so much energy in me. I diverted it towards mountaineering."Next, she is eyeing the Everest. “Everest remains the summit of summits, the mountain my father dreamed of and the one I have been circling, in every sense, for most of her life,” she says, adding, “Mountaineering looks like an external journey, but honestly, it is about going inwards.

I recall one adage that stayed with me right through the trek, ‘You don't climb mountains. Mountains allow you to climb them’.”

Sukhi’s tips for aspiring mountaineers•Leg strength is priority — squats, stair climbing•Long walks carrying a weighted backpack builds the foundation•She trained outdoors in winter wearing only a T-shirt to acclimatise my body to the cold of the mountains.•Breathing exercises are central, given the punishment high altitude inflicts on the lungs.•Underpinning all of it: yoga and meditation is key