Kerala cake artist Safrina conquers Mount Everest: A story of fitness and sacrifices

Icing cakes is nothing new for Kerala's home baker Safrina Latheef. Her brand, Zafrin-Bespoke Sugartales, has even won various awards. But hardly did she imagine that one day, she would also conquer one of the most iconic 'icy' peaks of the world, the Mount Everest! On May 18, the 37-year-old from Vengad in Kannur, settled in Qatar, become the first Kerala woman to conquer the peak. And her journey to the summit is an inspiring story of fitness. 

It started around the pandemic lockdown. While the world was locked indoors, wondering what was next, Safrina and her husband, Dr Shameel Musthafa – a surgeon at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar- turned to fitness. Speaking to a national English daily, she recalled how they joined the gym despite no fitness and how, over time, an old dream to conquer mountains took shape in her mind. As her fitness improved, Safrina decided to chase after the renowned peaks of the world and in just four years, she scaled Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in Tanzania, Aconcagua (6,961 m) in Argentina, and Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in Russia. 

Was no 'cake walk'
While all it takes to build fitness and altitude tolerance is will power and discipline, scaling a peak like Everest demands a lot more out of you - financial and emotional commitment. For Safrina and Shameel, this meant selling their apartment in Bengaluru to fund the expedition, which cost over $80,000. Though it was no easy decision, once they made the first payment of $68,000, Safrina says she told herself there's no looking back. By January this year, the couple's preparations were at their peak, but Shameel got injured. Though he couldn't join her expedition anymore, Safrina continued her training under a specialised coach in Doha. 

The final ascent
Safrina began her Everest journey on April 12, trekking to Base Camp before making her first push to Camp 1 on April 28. It was a gruelling 16-hour crawl through icy terrain. Though her body slowly adapted to the harsh conditions, she faced growing doubts, especially when the summit weather window opened on May 14. However, a call to her husband, who reminded her of their shared dream, gave Safrina the strength to continue.

On May 17 at 8 pm, Safrina's guide and she began the final climb. The path was treacherous, and she even came across the bodies of a few climbers who couldn't make it! But at 10.25 am on May 18, the 37-year-old proudly stood atop Mount Everest, waving the Indian and Qatari flags. The descent, too, had its challenges, with even snow blindness affecting her vision, but she still didn't give up. "I told myself that my husband didn't spend $50,000 to bring home my body and I should survive this," recalls Safrina after making history.