Ascent of Everest | Record-breaking Nepalese mountaineer wants to show off the talent of his country’s guides

(Kathmandu) Nepalese mountaineer Phunjo Lama, who on Thursday broke the record for the fastest ascent of Everest by a woman, assured Sunday that she was not chasing records but wanted to show the talent of the guides from his country.

This high mountain rescuer, specializing in helicopter interventions, beat the previous record by more than eleven hours, which she had held since 2021, by reaching the roof of the world in 14 hours and 31 minutes.

Generations of Nepalis, particularly among the famous Sherpa community, have climbed the Himalayas, but tradition dictated that their wives and daughters remained in the valleys.

But times are changing: more and more Nepalese women are becoming mountaineers and breaking records.

“I don’t know if my example will inspire vocations,” said Phunjo Lama, 32. “But what I mean is, if we continue down this path, there will be a lot of opportunities for women.”

She was back at base camp just 24 hours and 26 minutes after reaching the summit. Its goal: to demonstrate the talent of Nepalese guides.

“I’m not chasing records,” she told AFP on her return to Kathmandu. “As a guide, I was like, ‘What can we do to show [ce talent] to the rest of the world?” We can show that we have talented guides, in order to bring in foreign climbers.”

She had already broken the record for this ascent in 2018, in 39 hours and six minutes. This time was beaten in 2021 by Hong Kong’s Ada Tsang Yin-hung, in 25 hours and 50 minutes.

“I was very happy to reach the top,” she says. “During my previous attempt, I had problems. But this time everything went well.”

Its success came on the day of festivities celebrating Buddha’s birthday.

“I feel blessed. I was raised in the Buddhist tradition and reaching the summit on that day was something special for me,” she added. “For me, it was a message of peace and non-violence for the whole earth.”

She grew up in the Tsum Valley in the Gorkha region, a rural and isolated area where Manaslu, the eighth peak in the world, is located. She spent her childhood herding yaks with her grandfather.

“I was born and raised in the mountains, but our community was not very involved in mountaineering,” she explains.

In 2014, she began training to become a mountain rescuer. Two years later, she started climbing, climbing peaks like Manaslu and Cho Oyu, another giant of the region, before leaving to train in the Swiss Alps.

“She is very strong,” assures AFP her guide, Tendi Sherpa. “The record she set is incredible.”

Nepal has granted more than 900 permits for expeditions in its mountain ranges this year, including 419 for Everest alone, which brought the country more than five million dollars. Eight of the ten highest peaks in the world are located in Nepal.