AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH

Nepali mountaineer Dawa Yangum Sherpa leads a new generation of women climbers to conquer new heights.

- ALANA SCOTT.

Growing up in the Rolwaling Valley some 4,200 metres above sea level, surrounded by Nepal’s iconic mountains, was where Dawa Yangum Sherpa found her calling. Over the years, the region has produced over 70 notable male mountaineers, some of whom have guided expeditions up Mount Everest. Although the villagers were all accustomed to living in remote conditions and high altitudes, no woman ever took up the challenging vocation. But Dawa Yangum was not just any woman. From the age of nine, she was determined that she would one day stand atop of Everest.

Then in 2012, at 21 years old, Dawa Yangum succeeded to conquer the highest summit on Earth, defying expectations. The barrier-breaking continued when at 27, she became the first Nepali woman to earn mountaineering’s most prestigious title, the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) certification, subsequently joining an elite group of approximately 7,000 guides worldwide where only 1.5 per cent of them are women.