Dawa Yangzum Sherpa Made History on the World’s 14 Highest Peaks
From a remote village in Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley to the summits of the world’s highest mountains, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa has built a career that has changed the story of Nepali women in mountaineering. On October 9, 2024, she reached the summit of Shishapangma in Tibet, becoming the first Nepali woman to climb all 14 of the world’s mountains above 8,000 metres.
Standing at 8,027 metres, Shishapangma was the final peak in a journey that had stretched across more than a decade. However, for Dawa the achievement was never only about completing a list of summits.
Her career has also been shaped by professional mountain guiding, technical training, scientific expeditions and a long-standing effort to create more opportunities for Nepali women in high-altitude mountaineering.
From a Remote Nepal Village to All 14 of the World’s Highest Mountains
From a 4,200-Metre Himalayan Village to Everest
Dawa was born and raised in Na, a remote village in Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley, located at around 4,200 metres above sea level.
Growing up surrounded by Himalayan peaks made the mountains part of everyday life, but building a professional career in climbing was far from an obvious path for a young woman from the region.
Her fascination with the mountains began early. Dawa has recalled crossing the Tashi Lapcha Pass at the age of 12, an experience that strengthened her desire to explore the high Himalaya.
At 21, she reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2012, marking the beginning of her journey across the world’s eight-thousanders.
Two years later came another historic achievement. In 2014, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, Maya Sherpa and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita became the first team of Nepali women to summit K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.
The ascent helped establish Dawa as one of Nepal’s leading high-altitude climbers, but she was already looking beyond personal summit records.
She wanted the technical skills and professional qualifications required to lead in some of the world’s most demanding mountain environments.
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa’s Historic Journey Across All 14 Eight-Thousanders
Becoming a Professional Mountain Guide
In 2017, Dawa earned certification through the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, widely known as IFMGA.
She became Nepal’s first female IFMGA-certified mountain guide, placing her among a highly qualified group of professionals trained in technical climbing, guiding, rescue and mountain safety. The qualification marked an important shift in her career.
Dawa was no longer simply climbing some of the highest mountains on Earth. She was also professionally guiding others through challenging alpine environments and building a career at the international level. Her technical expertise later took her into scientific exploration as well.
In 2019, Dawa helped lead a major National Geographic Society scientific expedition on Mount Everest. The expedition involved researchers installing high-altitude weather stations, collecting samples and studying climate conditions across the Everest region.
The assignment highlighted another side of her career one built not only on physical endurance, but also on technical knowledge, leadership and responsibility in extreme environments.
Her growing international profile also led to her becoming the first Nepali athlete associated with outdoor brand The North Face.
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa Becomes First Nepali Woman to Climb All 14 Eight-Thousanders
One Peak After Another
Alongside guiding and expedition work, Dawa continued pursuing one of mountaineering’s greatest challenges: climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres. After Everest and K2, her list of major summits continued to grow.
She climbed Makalu in 2019 and added Manaslu, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Lhotse in 2021. Further ascents followed, including Kanchenjunga and Broad Peak in 2022, before she added Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Nanga Parbat in 2023. By then, only two eight-thousanders remained.
Dawa reached the summit of Cho Oyu on October 1, 2023, leaving Shishapangma as the final mountain required to complete all 14.
One year later, the opportunity finally arrived. On October 9, 2024, Dawa stood on the summit of Shishapangma and completed the 14 eight-thousanders, becoming the first Nepali woman to achieve the feat.
It was the culmination of a journey that had begun with Everest in 2012 and carried her across the Himalaya and Karakoram for more than a decade.
Everest Was Only the Beginning for Dawa Yangzum Sherpa
“The Mountains Teach You Resilience”
Completing all 14 eight-thousanders brought Dawa a place in Nepal’s mountaineering history, but she has consistently described the journey as something larger than a personal record.
“There were countless challenges along the way – physical, mental, and financial. But the mountains teach you resilience, and that’s what kept me going,” she told after completing the challenge. Her comments reflected the realities behind a climbing record often reduced to numbers.
Each successful summit required years of preparation, funding, expedition logistics, physical conditioning and the ability to make decisions in some of the most dangerous environments on Earth.
Dawa has also spoken about wanting her achievements to encourage other women while drawing greater attention to the changing mountain environment.
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa Completed the Ultimate Challenge
Opening the Mountains to More Women
Dawa has also played an important role in encouraging more Nepali women to pursue climbing and mountain professions. She has trained women in high-altitude climbing and helped them develop the technical skills needed to participate more professionally in mountaineering.
Rolex, which has profiled her as part of its Perpetual Planet initiative, highlights her annual climbing course for Nepali women and her wider commitment to increasing female participation in the mountains.
Her work carries particular significance in Nepal, a country globally recognised for its extraordinary mountaineering tradition but where women historically had fewer opportunities to become professional guides and expedition leaders.
Dawa’s own career reflects that changing landscape. She progressed from a young climber from Rolwaling to an Everest summiteer, K2 pioneer, internationally certified mountain guide, expedition leader and eventually the first Nepali woman to complete all 14 eight-thousanders.
Her journey shows that Nepali women are increasingly taking recognised professional and leadership roles in international mountaineering, rather than appearing only in exceptional summit stories.
Her contribution was formally recognised by the Nepal Mountaineering Association in 2024, when she received the Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Adventurous Women Award.
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa: Nepal’s Record-Breaking Mountaineer
A Historic Name in Nepali Mountaineering
From Everest in 2012 to Shishapangma in 2024, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa’s journey has taken her to every one of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders.
The achievement alone secured her place in Nepal’s mountaineering history. Yet the larger significance of her career may lie beyond the summits themselves.
Through professional guiding, technical leadership, scientific expeditions and training for other women, Dawa has helped expand the idea of what a Nepali woman can achieve in the mountains.
For aspiring female climbers, her journey offers more than an extraordinary record. It shows that women can not only reach the world’s highest summits, but also guide, lead and build professional careers at the highest levels of global mountaineering.
