Sherpa Woman Wins National Geographic Explorer of the Year !

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Jan

Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 4, 2016 - 08:18pm PT
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, who along with two other women climbed K2 in 2014, won the People's Choice Award for National Gegraphic Adventurer of the Year. Not only is she a great climber, but she led efforts to aid earthquake victims in Nepal as well.

I had the pleasure of meeting her in a group of other Sherpas near Vail, Colorado, the night before it was officially announced. She had just returned from guiding Aconcagua and was the most friendly and humble person imaginable.


Here's her story.




http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/04/pasang-lhamu-sherpa-akita-adventurer-of-the-year/



Fritz

Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
Feb 4, 2016 - 08:41pm PT
Jan! It's wonderful that she won the award & she obviously deserves it.

Great fun that you got to meet her too.
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Feb 4, 2016 - 08:53pm PT

Awesome!
Well deserved!
crankster

Trad climber
No. Tahoe
Feb 4, 2016 - 09:27pm PT
Terrific achievement.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Feb 4, 2016 - 10:12pm PT
hey there say, jan... wow, neat and very special share! thanks for sharing this!!
FRUMY

Trad climber
Bishop,CA
Feb 4, 2016 - 10:59pm PT
TFPU
Delhi Dog

climber
Good Question...
Feb 5, 2016 - 01:24am PT
Wonderful news for sure!

So I'm sitting in my friend's shop in Kathmandu drinking some tea over the winter break and in comes this petit Nepalese woman along with another friend of hers who wasn't much bigger.

'She so tiny', I think to myself.

My friend after speaking with her (good friends both of them) turns to me and says, "... this lady right her has climbed all 7 summits, and K2 as well."

I think, "holy smokes, how could she carry enough to do any of those?"

Tough people those Nepalese folks. And so sweet and kind.
-----



Hey Jan (slightly off topic but...) have you seen these videos?
Fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o100I0sED-A
PSP also PP

Trad climber
Berkeley
Feb 5, 2016 - 07:48am PT
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/medical-mountaineers

Interesting article re her earthquake work with american zen teacher joan halifax
WallMan

Trad climber
Denver, CO
Feb 5, 2016 - 12:06pm PT
Awesome!
Jan

Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2016 - 02:34pm PT
Here's a photo of all three of the Sherpani who climbed K2 for the Nepalese Women's expedition. One of them told me that they all three knew they could die but they wanted to try it anyway. They didn't invite more women because they didn't want to be responsible for persuading them should there be any fatalities.






I wonder which one Delhi Dog saw in that shop in Kathmandu?
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Feb 5, 2016 - 02:48pm PT
Wonderful news!

You got to meet her Jan? More on that please!
norm larson

climber
wilson, wyoming
Feb 5, 2016 - 03:59pm PT
Very very cool. Thanks for posting this.
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Feb 5, 2016 - 04:15pm PT
Nice job women!
Jan

Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2016 - 04:36pm PT
Survival,

the woman in the center, Dawa Yangzum, is from the village I studied for my PhD thesis back in 1974, before she was born. She's currently in Denver right now so we got together and then another Sherpa from the same village came to the U.S. to learn skiing in Jackson Hole. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL the fourth day out, and thanks to a special foundation for skiing and climbing professionals, was able to have it repaired at the Steadman Clinic in Vail.

He was put up at a hotel there (cheaper than keeping him in the hospital) and I went up to do post op nursing care the first week after surgery. Once he could get around, we met Dawa and assorted Sherpa friends in the nearby town of Edwards. Pasang Lhamu had just joined them for a day of ice climbing in Vail, so that's how I got to meet her. There were at least five Everest summits in that group and probably closer to ten or more if I knew. The guy second from right (you can see his crutches in the foreground) has been on Everest 11 times with 2 summits.
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