Maya Sherpa, a young girl from Okhaldhunga, Nepal, was inspired by her father and uncles who guided foreigners on treks. She saw that trekking could improve her life and dreamed of becoming a trekking guide. Despite her gender stereotypes, Maya never accepted them and always wanted to do something that required courage and stood out from the crowd. When she was seven, her parents sent her to live with her uncle’s family in Kathmandu, but her interest in trekking dwindled.
Maya’s ambition was to join the Nepal Police, but she didn’t have acquaintances in high places, which was considered a prerequisite for getting in. However, Maya continued to pursue her passion for climbing and weightlifting, which were not career paths for women in Nepal at the time. One day, when Maya was 21 and still unemployed, her father harassed her about earning a living.
One day, Maya decided to take a chance and called her uncle’s house, where she found a trekking guide from her village. The trekking company hired her and sent her on a ten-day trek to Pumori Base Camp. While on the trek, Maya decided to become a trekking guide.
The trekking company offered her another longer trek if she proved herself capable. Maya attended a basic mountaineering training in Langtang and was part of a group on a 25-day circuit of the Manaslu region. If Maya managed to prove herself on high passes, the company would consider paying for basic training and sending her to climb mountains.
Maya proved to be capable at high altitudes, and the trekking company kept its word. She was the only woman in a group of 32 trainees, feeling proud to be rubbing shoulders with men.
Maya, a Nepali mountaineer, began her career in the sport after completing her training. Her company outfitted big expeditions, and renowned mountaineer Daniel Mazur sponsored her expedition to Ama Dablam. Maya became the first Nepali woman to climb Ama Dablam in 2003, showcasing the opportunities for women in the male-dominated mountaineering profession. She saw that climbing offered fame and esteem, leading her to become a mountaineer.
Maya has been on 16 expeditions, all but two of which resulted in successful ascents. She has summited Everest three times and is the only Nepali woman alive today to have scaled Everest from the north and south sides.
A year after climbing Ama Dablam, Maya’s parents began urging her to get married. Maya countered by stating that marrying a Nepali would be a family commitment and that climbing would not be possible if she married a Nepali. She always wanted a life partner who understood her passion and why she did it, and so she chose Dutch climber Arnold Costner as her guide on an expedition to Cho Oyu.
Maya married Arnold in 2006, and four years later, she became the mother of a daughter. She decided to return to mountaineering and chose K2 as the most dangerous mountain.
Maya Sherpa, a Nepali woman, and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, the 2016 National Geographic People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year, shared a desire to climb K2, the most technically difficult mountain in the world. They decided to prove that women, whether they were wives or mothers, could climb the toughest mountains in the world. Maya, Pasang Lhamu, and Dawa Yangzum Sherpa decided to be the first all-women team to summit K2.
The struggles for Maya and her team began in Kathmandu, as they needed to raise a large amount of money for the expedition. They had to go door to door to ask for help, but they used their anger and desire to prove people wrong to succeed. The trio successfully made it to the summit on 26 July 2014, and when Everest reopened after two years in 2016, Maya summited it again.
Maya is pleased with her accomplishments and those of fellow female climbers like Pasang Lhamu and Dawa, but she says that there is a dearth of women who have the will to get into mountaineering and continue. She believes that while many people say that women need more opportunities in Nepal, they also need to make the most of the opportunities that come their way.
The number of women taking up mountaineering courses is dismally low, and she doesn’t understand why women won’t take up an opportunity that can open so many doors. Maya Sherpa is President of the Everest Summiteers Association, a sought-after mountain guide, and co-owner of a successful expedition company. She gives dozens of talks a year on her adventures and is living it large, but reminds people that it was never easy, especially for Nepali women.
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