Born: 1973 (Makalu, Nepal)
Biography:
Lhakpa Sherpa (also Lakpa) (Nepali: Lakhpa Sherpa; born 1973) is a Nepalese Sherpa mountain climber. She has climbed Mount Everest ten times, the most of any woman in the world. Her record-breaking tenth climb was on May 12, 2022, which she financed via a crowdfunding campaign. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to climb and descend Everest successfully. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women.
Early life:
Lhakpa Sherpa was born in a cave in the region and had no formal education. She grew up in Balakharka, a village in the Makalu, Nepal region of the Himalayas. She is one of 11 children and is a single mother of two daughters and a son herself.
Career:
In 2000, she was the leader of an expedition sponsored by Asian Trekking. On September 18, 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to summit Mount Everest and survive. This climb was with the Nepali Women Millennium Expedition. In 2003, the U.S. PBS noted that she had summited Mount Everest three times, the most for a woman. In May 2003, she reached the summit with her sister and brother, Ming Kipa and Mingma Gelu. By 2007, Lhakpa Sherpa had summited Everest six times since 1999, and her husband summited nine. That year, they hosted a presentation about their 2007 Everest trip, with donations taken for Quaker Lane Cooperative Nursery School. In 2016, she summited Mount Everest from Tibet (China), making her seventh summit. The President of Mount Everest Summiteers’ Association, a Nepali woman and high-altitude worker, Maya Sherpa also summited but from Nepal. Maya Sherpa is another record-setting Nepali woman, and she has also summited K2.
Climbing career achievements:
– Everest summitings: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
– Additional expeditions: Expedition to climb K2 in 2010 (did not summit but made it to camp 3 before being turned back by bad weather), Expedition to Everest in 2015 (made it to base camp in Tibet but turned back by the Spring earthquakes in the Himalayas)
Personal life:
Lhakpa is named for the day of the week she was born on (Wednesday). Although born in Nepal, she is now a U.S. resident and works at taking care of her three children and various jobs. She has worked at the U.S. store 7 Eleven and Whole Foods Market.
Awards:
– Currently Unknown