Actress Sukhi Bal conquers Ama Dablam, eyes Everest summit next
Punjab‑born actress Sukhi Bal, now based in Australia, summits 6,812‑metre Ama Dablam, carries her late father’s photos and plans to tackle Everest.
Sukhi Bal reached the top of Ama Dablam, one of the Himalayas’ toughest climbs. She now aims for the ultimate challenge – Mount Everest.
Sukhi Bal, Ama Dablam, Everest, mountaineering, Indian actress, Australian resident, trekking, Himalayas, Punjabi actress, adventure sports
For Sukhi Bal, the toughest role isn’t on screen – it’s at 6,812 metres above sea level, on Ama Dablam, a peak famed for its technical difficulty. The Punjab‑born, Australia‑based actress stood on the summit, holding photographs of her parents. “I told my father — this is 6,812 metres, one of the most technical peaks,” she said, recalling her late dad’s influence.
Her father, Sardar Ranjit Singh, loved mountains, she says. “He passed his wonder for the peaks on to me long before I could lace a pair of hiking boots,” she added, noting she felt his presence on the top.
Bal’s trek into serious trekking began about two and a half years ago. Last year she completed the Everest Base Camp trek and summited Labuche Peak (6,119 m). She admits the training was grueling – both 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,” she explained, describing the seven‑to‑nine‑hour climbs.
Her mentor, Malkit Singh – a fellow Punjabi who summited Everest two years ago – guided the early steps. It was Singh who first suggested the Everest Base Camp trek, which set everything else in motion.
Bal still flies back to India each year for film and theatre work. She earned a Master’s in Political Science from Punjabi University, Patiala, before moving to Australia in 2007. “Acting is my first passion, my first love,” she says, “but I had so much energy in me. I diverted it towards mountaineering.”
Now Everest is the next target. “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 notes, adding an adage that kept her going: “You don’t climb mountains. Mountains allow you to climb them.”
Bal also shared quick tips for anyone dreaming of high‑altitude climbs:
- Leg strength first – squats, stair climbing.
- Long walks with a weighted backpack builds the base.
- Training outdoors in winter, T‑shirt only, to acclimatise.
- Breathing exercises are key – altitude really punishes the lungs.
- Underlying everything: yoga and meditation.
So yes, she’s on the trail, balancing acting gigs and alpine ambitions. Whether she’ll stand on Everest’s roof remains to be seen, but the climb is already shaping her inner journey.