Lhakpa Sherpa’s remarkable journey began in 2000 when she became the first Nepali woman to conquer and descend Mount Everest safely. Her historic achievement set the stage for an incredible career, marked by numerous record-breaking ascents that showcase her unparalleled skill and determination in the world of mountaineering. Despite her significant contributions to the sport, Sherpa has remained relatively unknown to the public for the past two decades.
Sherpa’s astounding 10 summits of the mountain from 2000 to 2022 categorise her as a highly-skilled professional mountaineer. However, Sherpa’s everyday life in Hartford, Connecticut presents a striking juxtaposition to her high-altitude triumphs. She’s a devoted single mother of three, an abuse survivor, and lives in a modest apartment, working as a dishwasher at a local Whole Foods. She also has her own guided-expedition company called Cloudscape Climbing, which offers local hikes in New England as well as expeditions in the Himalayas.
In July 2023, Sherpa successfully summited K2, nicknamed the Killer Mountain, for the first time, putting herself into an echelon of elite technical climbing, and further demonstrating her athletic capacity and determination. In 2024, Netflix released Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa. The film tracks Sherpa’s historic mountaineering history against her record-breaking 10th summit to reveal a rich personal history – from her childhood as an unprotected girl denied an education, to her experience as an immigrant in America and survivor of intimate partner violence, to her fight to reclaim her agency and independence and live as a fearless example to her teenage daughters.
Sherpa’s multifaceted story explores complex themes of social injustice, athleticism, parenthood, and survival through the lens of an unsuspecting immigrant woman. Lhakpa Sherpa, the Mountain Queen, is a symbol of courage, determination, and the unwavering human spirit, who now hopes to pass her name down in history and live on as a luminary for all women.
