Lhakpa Sherpa

Lhakpa Sherpa is the only woman to have climbed Chomolungma (aka Mt. Everest) three times, and the first Nepali woman to survive the summit. She is attempting a fourth climb in spring 2004, leading the US-Connecticut Everest expedition.

She has scaled the highest peak of the world twice from the Tibetan (northern) side, and once from the southern side. Her first Everest climb was in 2000 with the first and only all-woman Sherpa team. The next year, at the age of 29, she reached the summit again. She reached the summit for the third time on May 22 2003, 50 years after the first successful Hillary/Tenzing expedition.

After her first succesful climb, she was awarded the medal for the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu by the King of Nepal.

In spring 2000, she led the succesful Millenium Women's Everest Expedition. Lhakpa Sherpa was born in the village of Makalu, on the slopes of the Makalu peak. The summit of Everest loomed over her childhood, and crowds of trekkers and mountaineers passed through her village each summer. Her village had no roads, schools, electricity, or clinic. She was one of 11 siblings, 8 girls and 3 boys. The family lived off their 50 yaks, and all the childen helped to look after the animals.

There were no women Sherpa mountaineers at the time, but at age 11, Lhakpa convinced her uncle to give her the job of 'kitchen boy' on a Makalu climb. She broke her leg on one of her earliest trips, but returned to climbing as soon as possible. She met another mountaineer, Lopsang Sherpa, fell in love, and had a child. Lopsang died in a mountaineering expedition in 1997, leaving Lhakpa a single mother.

Without any education, Lhakpa felt that her only ability was climbing, and struggled to find support for herself to climb Everest. Eventually, she was encouraged by the prime minister's office, and was named leader of the Nepalese Women Millennium Everest Expedition in the spring of 2000. By the time the team reached the final summit climb, most of the Sherpani had turned back, and only two were left. Dawa Yangzi Sherpa had to turn back at the Hillary Step, and Lhakpa reached the summit alone.

Lhakpa Sherpa and her sister, Ming Kipa

Lhakpa's 15-year-old sister, Ming Kipa, joined her on the 2002 climb, thus becoming the youngest person ever to climb the mountain. Her brother, Mingma, was also on the climb.

Lhakpa Sherpa is married to Gheorghe Dijmarescu, a Romanian mountaineer who has also climbed Everest several times. They met at the party honoring the Nepalese Women's succesful climb. They have a daughter, who lives with them in Hartford, Connecticut.

Newsclips & Links

Lhakpa to make fourth attempt on Sagarmatha. Gorkhapatra.com, 5 April 2004.

Mountain that blessed Sherpa woman keeps calling her home despite perils. Hartford Courant, 21 Apr 2004.

Everest Summiteers, a group that has records on people who have reached the summit of Everest. Includes Lhakpa Sherpa, Ming Kipa, and Bachendri Pal.

The Legacy of Sherpa Women Mountaineers. PBS Frontline, May 2003.