Nahida Manzoor, 23, on Wednesday became the first woman Everester from Kashmir, a feat that brought cheer back home.

Transcend Adventures, a Hyderabad-based organisation that conducts expeditions, announced on Facebook that Nahida’s had successfully climbed the world’s highest peak.

“The Fourth summit of the day is Nahida Manzoor along with her Sherpa Guide Nima Kancha. Nahida hails from the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The 26-year old lady (she is 23) has been passionate about the snow peaks and took to the mountains at a very young age,” Transcend Adventures posted on Facebook.

Nahida is an undergraduate student from Srinagar’s Zewan area.

Vidur Vij, an official at Transcend Adventures, told The Telegraph that Nahida reached the summit in the morning and would return in two days.

Danish Dhaar, who heads the Valley-based Harmukh Adventures with which Nahida has worked, said it was a proud moment for Kashmir.

“There are only a few Kashmiri girls who train as mountaineers. Nahida will be an inspiration for many who will now follow in her footsteps,” he said.

Danish said Nahida had in recent years climbed Mount Deo Tibba, Manali; Friendship Peak, Himachal Pradesh; and Mounts Mahadev and Tatakooti in Jammu and Kashmir.

Politicians and common people lauded Nahida’s feat.

“Kashmiris too have dreams & aspirations like everyone else. Somewhere between stereotyping & demonising them, human stories are lost. All of twenty three, Nahida Manzoor is the first Kashmiri woman to scale Mt Everest. More power to her & the youth of J&K,” tweeted former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah also congratulated Nahida and two Jammu and Kashmir police officers for summitting the Everest.

“It’s a proud moment for our state and its people. I congratulate the trio who have successfully scaled the world’s highest peak. Moreover, the team also comprised of a girl. I congratulate her, and I believe that her achievement has the ability to transform a generation, as will do her male counterparts. They truly are an inspiration for others,” Omar said in a statement.

Nahida had left along with a group from the Everest base camp on Saturday.

In the run-up to the expedition, Nahida had to rely on a crowd-funding initiative for realising her dream.

She also received help from some government departments and a business house. The cost of the expedition was around Rs 30 lakh.

Nahida had recently told reporters in Srinagar that climbing the Everest was her childhood dream. She said she had to opt for crowd funding as she did not get sponsors.

“I belong to a middle-class family and have set my eyes on a big dream. Not only physical hazards, it is the cost of the expedition that makes scaling Mount Everest a dream,” the Greater Kashmir newspaper had quoted her as saying.

“When I started, there were hardly any women who went for expeditions and trekking…. Now the things have changed and I am seeing more and more girls joining adventure sport,” she had said

Nahida is a trained mountaineer, having completed all mountaineering courses, including the Basic Mountaineering Course and the Advance Mountaineering Course from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. She has also done a Special Mountaineering Course and a Method of Instructions course from the institute.