Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita is an elite climber and has summited Mount Everest and K2, but since the birth of her son her climbing has taken a back seat but now she’s set out to inspire him.
Monitoring Desk
Kathmandu, Nepal
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, 37, is an accomplished climber having summited Mount Everest and K2, and in 2016 she was crowned National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year.
But to get there she had to overcome incredible adversity, as in Sherpa culture climbing is viewed as a male pastime and people would say she “shouldn’t be with men and climbing that rock”.
Then when she had her first child, Ei-chan Nurbu, she faced fresh challenges because she was expected to stay at home and look after him as this was viewed as the mother’s responsibility.
But Pasang said that wanted to inspire her son and show him that he should follow his dreams, so on his second birthday, November 14, 2019, she summited Cholatse – a 6,440m mountain in the Everest region.
Pasang said: “I learned so many things from my mother – she was single, she was raising two kids by herself, and she never went to school.
“And then I saw how a woman can be strong.
“I have big respect for all the mothers, because the mothers are very strong, they’re always there for their children.
“They sacrifice their dreams for the children. Everybody should have their dream to live, you know?
“Now, I’m a mother, but I’m still living my dream – everybody has a right to live their dream.”
After flying to Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region, Pasang hiked with Ei-chan and her husband, Tora Akita, to the base of the mountain.
There she left her husband to babysit at basecamp as she embarked on the two-day climb to the summit of Cholatse.
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Courtesy: Mirror
