Sukhi Bal scales Ama Dablam, eyes Everest for her career
Actress Sukhi Bal, based in Australia, reaches 6,812 m on Mount Ama Dablam in Nepal before setting sights on Everest. The Punjabi-born mountaineer shares training insights and personal reflections that shaped her climbing journey.
Sukhi Bal has conquered the technically demanding Ama Dablam peak at 6,812 m, carrying photos of her late father to the summit. Now she is preparing to tackle Everest, the mountain her father always dreamed of.
Sukhi Bal, mountaineering, Ama Dablam, Everest, Punjabi actress, Australia, Nepal, climbing, adventure
Actress and mountaineer Sukhi Bal has recently summited Ama Dablam, a 6,812‑metre peak in the Nepalese Himalayas that is known for its technical difficulty. The Punjab‑born, Australia‑based star carried photographs of her parents with her to the top, echoing the memory of her father, Sardar Ranjit Singh, who inspired her love of mountains.
Bal began serious trekking two and a half years ago, completing the Everest Base Camp trek last year and scaling Labuche Peak at 6,119 m. Her training routine has been described as mentally and physically gruelling, with a focus on willpower and mental strength to endure long climbs. “Mentally, you have to be 110% present. Physically you can be tired, but if you are mentally strong, you can pull yourself up,” she said.
Her mentor, Malkit Singh—a fellow Punjabi from New Zealand who summited Everest two years earlier—guided her early steps and urged her to visit Everest Base Camp, which set everything in motion. Bal, who studied Political Science at Punjabi University, Patiala, moved to Australia in 2007 for a brief stay but remained tied to acting, returning yearly for film and theatre projects.
“Acting is my first passion, my first love,” she noted. “But I had so much energy in me. I diverted it towards mountaineering.” Now she is eyeing the world’s tallest peak, Everest, which she describes as the summit of summits and a mountain her father once dreamed of.
Bal shares practical tips for aspiring climbers: prioritise leg strength with squats and stair climbing, incorporate long walks with weighted backpacks, train outdoors in winter even in a t‑shirt, practise breathing exercises for high altitude, and keep yoga and meditation as core components of training.
Her journey reflects a blend of personal devotion and disciplined preparation, as she continues to chase the heights that once captivated her father’s imagination.