I’m Simran Bajwa, a 23-year-old Canadian mountaineer who, long before I ever tied into a rope, used to play “climbing Mount Everest” on the snowy roof of my family’s barn. I didn’t know then that the mountains would become such a central part of my life — I just knew I loved imagining what was possible. Years later, a summer in Squamish in 2021 introduced me to climbing for real, and standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro in 2023 confirmed what I already felt in my body: this was my path. Since then, I’ve climbed Aconcagua, Elbrus, and Kosciuszko, as I work to become the youngest Canadian to climb the 7 Summits and the youngest female to summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.

I climb in a methodical, intuitive, and deeply spiritual way, listening closely to what my body needs and what the mountain asks of me. I believe in calculated movements and rest. Anyone who has climbed with me knows that I am always the first in my sleeping bag and the last out! The mountains demand respect and honesty, and I thank them every day for letting me move through their landscapes. Climbing has become a space for self-discovery — a reminder that I’ve been through worse, and that I can keep going with patience and humility.