Half a Century of Women on Mount Everest

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In a recent Kathmandu Post feature, reporter Tufan Neupane profiles 51-year-old Phur Diki Sherpa and her quietly ambitious journey on Mt. Everest, a pursuit once dominated by men. Her story opens a window onto something much larger: the 50-year arc of women on Everest, from Junko Tabei’s groundbreaking 1975 ascent to a new generation of Nepali climbers steadily rewriting the record books.

Phur Diki took up climbing after losing her husband Mingma, an icefall doctor, in the Khumbu Icefall in 2013. On May 23, 2019, she and Nima Doma Sherpa, also widowed by the mountain, reached the Everest summit holding a banner that read Hami pani garna sakchhaun, “We can do it too.”

Below are key highlights from the article:

  • A 22-year wait, then two women in 11 days. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary summited Everest in 1953. Japanese climber Junko Tabei did not stand there until May 16, 1975, after surviving an avalanche, with Chinese climber Phanthog reaching the top from the north face 11 days later. That season 31 women attempted Everest, only two summited, and the gap with male climbers was less about the mountain than the world around it.
  • Nepali women caught up late. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa became the first Nepali woman to summit in April 1993, but died just 99 metres into her descent. Lhakpa Sherpa became the first to summit and return safely in 2000, and now holds the women’s record with ten ascents.
  • Nepali women caught up late. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa became the first Nepali woman to summit in April 1993, but died just 99 metres into her descent. Lhakpa Sherpa became the first to summit and return safely in 2000, and now holds the women’s record with ten ascents.
  • The mountain has become much safer. Between 1975 and 1980, around 40 per 1,000 male climbers and 25 per 1,000 female climbers died on Everest. Over the past decade, mortality has dropped below 1 percent for both, with men dying nearly five times as often as women. Last spring no woman died on Everest at all. Eight of the 14 women who have died on Everest were lost during descent, including Pasang Lhamu. Part of the male toll comes from Sherpa workers, who account for 96 of the 348 Everest deaths through 2025.
  • Different decisions on the way up. Himalayan Database records suggest women more often turn back at the first signs of health trouble, while men more often retreat only after losing their route. Mingma Sherpa, the first Nepali to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, told the Post the cultural ground has shifted too: “Now the idea that women can do this has taken root.”
  • The oxygen-use gap that has not closed. Use of supplemental oxygen has risen sharply on both sides. Between 1975 and 1980, 12 percent of women and 28 percent of men used it. By 2020 to 2025, those figures had climbed to 74 and 84 percent. The gap has narrowed slightly but persisted across every decade.
  • Women still make up only about 1 in 10 climbers. Himalayan Database records show 23,320 male climbers in 50 years versus 2,252 women, and only seven women have ever worked Everest as support staff or load carriers. Phur Diki says perception remains the most persistent barrier.

Neupane ends the story at the Base Camp. Phur Diki has already fulfilled her husband’s dream and now hopes to honor her late father by climbing Lhotse. After that, she speaks of the dreams her three daughters still carry. But when Neupane asks about her own dreams, a long silence drifts down from the mountain.

Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my AI Explorations process. For more information, please refer to the original article listed below.

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