Lhakpa Sherpa, the Nepali climber who holds the world record for the most Mount Everest summits by a woman, is preparing for her eleventh attempt on the world’s highest peak in 2026.
Born in a remote village in Nepal without formal education or mountaineering training, Lhakpa’s rise from poverty to becoming one of the most accomplished mountaineers in history has once again drawn global attention following the success of the 2023 documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.
Her story has resonated widely because it combines extraordinary athletic achievement with personal resilience surviving domestic abuse, raising children as a single mother in the United States, and balancing physically demanding expeditions with low-paying jobs to support her family.
This year’s Everest season has also brought renewed focus to the dangerous and often under-recognised labour of Sherpa climbers after unstable ice formations delayed climbing operations near the Khumbu Icefall.
Nepalese tourism officials recently confirmed that Sherpa route-fixing teams had reopened the climbing path, allowing expeditions, including Lhakpa’s, to continue preparations for summit attempts.
Remote Village to Mountaineering History
Lhakpa Sherpa’s life story stands apart not only because of her mountaineering records but because of the circumstances in which those achievements were made. Born in Nepal’s Makalu region in eastern Nepal, she grew up in a farming family with eleven siblings in a village where girls were rarely sent to school.
According to multiple accounts featured in Mountain Queen, Lhakpa spent her childhood carrying loads through mountain trails and helping support her household, long before she ever imagined climbing Mount Everest.
Her entry into mountaineering reportedly began when she worked as a porter and kitchen helper for trekking expeditions in the Himalayas. Without professional training or sponsorship, she slowly gained experience in high-altitude climbing and completed her first Everest summit in 2000.
Over the next two decades, she repeatedly returned to the mountain, eventually setting the world record for the highest number of Everest ascents by a woman. What has particularly moved audiences worldwide is the contrast between her extraordinary accomplishments and her everyday life in the United States.
While elite athletes often enjoy sponsorships, media attention, and institutional support, Lhakpa reportedly worked at grocery stores and retail outlets in Connecticut to support herself and her children while continuing to train for Everest expeditions. In interviews linked to the documentary, she spoke openly about surviving an abusive marriage and rebuilding her life as a single mother.
Recent expedition reports suggest that Lhakpa has already reached Everest Base Camp and may attempt a double summit during this climbing season if weather conditions remain favourable. Her brother, Mingma Gelu Sherpa of Seven Summit Adventure, reportedly confirmed her participation and described her continued commitment to climbing despite the immense physical and emotional challenges involved.
Everest Risks and Invisible Labour
Lhakpa Sherpa’s renewed visibility has also reopened conversations around the larger history of Sherpa climbers and the unequal recognition within global mountaineering culture. For decades, Sherpa communities in Nepal have been central to Himalayan expeditions fixing ropes, carrying oxygen cylinders and equipment, preparing camps, and guiding climbers through dangerous terrain.
Yet, despite their expertise and contributions, international media coverage has often focused more heavily on foreign climbers reaching the summit than on the local communities enabling those journeys.
This year’s Everest climbing season has once again highlighted the risks Sherpa climbers face. Reuters recently reported that unstable ice formations and dangerous conditions in the Khumbu Icefall delayed climbing operations for weeks, forcing hundreds of mountaineers to remain at base camp.
A specialised team of 19 Sherpa climbers eventually reopened the route after navigating hazardous ice sections and fixing ropes through the area. Nepal’s tourism department later confirmed that expeditions could continue moving towards higher camps.
The delay has raised broader concerns about overcrowding and compressed climbing schedules on Everest. Several climbers and expedition organisers have warned that when weather windows become shorter, large groups attempting the summit at the same time can create dangerous bottlenecks near the peak. Such conditions increase exhaustion, oxygen shortages, and accident risks, particularly in the “death zone” above 8,000 metres.
Climate experts have also repeatedly warned that climate change is making Himalayan climbing conditions more unpredictable. Melting glaciers, unstable ice structures, and changing snowfall patterns are reportedly increasing the frequency of avalanches and route collapses. Sherpa communities, who spend extended periods on the mountain every season, often bear the greatest burden of these risks.
Against this backdrop, Lhakpa Sherpa’s continued return to Everest carries symbolic significance. Her presence represents not only personal resilience but also the enduring expertise and courage of Himalayan communities whose contributions have historically remained under-recognised in global sporting narratives.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Lhakpa Sherpa’s story is far greater than a sporting milestone. It is a powerful reminder that some of the world’s most extraordinary achievements emerge from lives shaped by hardship, invisibility, and resilience rather than privilege or recognition. At a time when public success is often measured through celebrity, sponsorships, and social media visibility, Lhakpa’s journey challenges society to rethink whose stories are celebrated and whose labour quietly sustains entire industries.
Her life also reflects a deeper truth about gender and class inequalities across the world. A woman denied formal education in childhood went on to become one of the most accomplished mountaineers in history, all while balancing motherhood, migration, financial hardship, and personal trauma. Yet despite holding records that would make most athletes internationally famous, she reportedly continued to work ordinary jobs to survive. That contrast says as much about global systems of recognition as it does about her personal determination.
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