Lhakpa Sherpa has an incredible story. She holds the record for the most climbs of Mount Everest by a woman, with 10 successful ascents. However, her personal life has been very challenging. While she was conquering the world’s highest mountain, she was also enduring domestic abuse from her husband, even during their descent from Everest in 2004.
Now living in America, Lhakpa has raised three children while working in a grocery store and as a cleaner. Her life story is the subject of a Netflix documentary, “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” directed by Lucy Walker. Lhakpa is proud of the film, stating, “I want to show people women can do it.”
Surprisingly, Lhakpa achieves her record-breaking climbs with minimal training. Despite the high risks associated with climbing Everest, she maintains her fitness by walking in the Connecticut mountains while balancing her day job. As she told the BBC, “I’m not good with being educated, but I’m very good with the mountains.”
Lhakpa’s journey began in 1973 in the Nepalese Himalayas, where she was one of 11 children. She had no formal education and started working as a mountain porter at age 15. After a brief relationship in Kathmandu, she became an unmarried mother and was too ashamed to return home. She later met and married Romanian-US mountaineer George DijmÄrescu, but their relationship became abusive.
In 2012, after another violent incident, Lhakpa moved with her daughters to a women’s refuge and started to rebuild her life. They divorced in 2015, and she gained sole custody of her girls. Despite the trauma, she continued to climb, using the mountains as a form of healing. “My darkness I leave behind [on the mountain],” she says.
Her daughters, Sunny and Shiny, are proud of their mother and the strength she has shown. They participated in the documentary to share their family’s story of resilience. Lhakpa hopes to continue climbing and sharing her expertise with others, aiming to create a better life for her children.
This remarkable story highlights Lhakpa Sherpa’s resilience and determination, both on the world’s highest peaks and in her personal life. The BBC provides an in-depth look at her journey and the challenges she has overcome.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckrrgdpvrdpo