Lhakpa Sherpa has stood on top of Mount Everest more times than any other woman in history. But the barriers she has conquered extend far beyond the world’s highest mountain.
On May 17, 2026, the celebrated Nepali mountaineer reached the 8,848.86-metre summit for the 11th time, extending her Guinness World Record for the most Everest ascents by a woman. She reached the top at approximately 9:30 a.m. after climbing from the Nepal side.
The achievement came four years after her record-setting 10th ascent in May 2022 and more than a quarter of a century after her first successful Everest expedition.
Yet summit numbers tell only part of Lhakpa’s extraordinary story.
A Childhood Shaped by Mountains and Restrictions
Born into a family of yak farmers in the remote Makalu region of eastern Nepal, Lhakpa grew up surrounded by mountains but separated from opportunities routinely available to boys.
She was denied a formal education because of her gender. She has recalled carrying her younger brother to school for hours while being unable to attend classes herself.
Her desire to work in the mountains brought another challenge. Expedition jobs were largely reserved for men, forcing her to push against the expectations placed on women in her community.
Lhakpa has said she cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy to find work as a porter. She later moved from kitchen duties to climbing and guiding, building the practical knowledge and physical endurance that would define her career.
The First Nepali Woman to Summit Everest and Return Safely
On May 18, 2000, Lhakpa became the first Nepali woman to reach the summit of Everest and return safely.
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa had made history as the first Nepali woman to stand on the summit in 1993, but she tragically died during the descent.
Lhakpa continued climbing through the early 2000s and completed six Everest ascents before stepping away from major expeditions for nearly a decade.
She returned to the mountain in 2016 and steadily extended her record with successful ascents in 2017, 2018 and 2022. Her 2026 expedition marked her return to the Nepal route after nine previous climbs from the northern side in Tibet.
Surviving a Different Kind of Mountain
While her mountaineering career was reaching historic heights, Lhakpa was confronting severe challenges in her personal life.
After moving to the United States, she survived years of intimate-partner violence and eventually rebuilt her life in Connecticut.
She raised her children while working physically demanding jobs, including shifts in the kitchen and dishwashing section of Whole Foods, as well as house-cleaning work. Netflix’s documentary profile describes how she supported her family while continuing to pursue her mountaineering ambitions.
Despite holding one of the most remarkable records in adventure sport, Lhakpa often climbed without the sponsorships, financial security and professional support available to many internationally recognised athletes.
Her 2022 Everest expedition was made possible with crowdfunding after she struggled to secure major commercial backing.
The contrast was striking: the woman with more Everest summits than any other female climber was working long hours in Connecticut to support her family and finance her return to the mountain.
Taking Her Ambition Beyond Everest
Lhakpa’s ambitions have never been limited to Everest. In 2023, she attempted K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of mountaineering’s most dangerous challenges. The expedition came 13 years after poor weather ended her first attempt at Camp Three.
Her willingness to return reflected the same determination that has shaped every chapter of her life: setbacks may delay her, but they rarely define her.
‘Mountain Queen’ Brings Her Story to the World
Lhakpa’s journey reached a wider global audience through director Lucy Walker’s documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.
Released on Netflix in 2024, the film follows her record-breaking 10th Everest expedition while exploring her childhood in Nepal, migration to the United States, motherhood, financial struggles and survival of domestic abuse.
The documentary later received a Peabody Award. The awards organisation praised the production for capturing the resilience and energy of a woman who repeatedly defied the limitations placed before her.
A Record Built Without an Easy Path
Lhakpa’s 11th Everest ascent adds another historic chapter to a career built without formal education, sustained sponsorship or an easy route into professional mountaineering.
For her, Everest has never been only a peak. It has been a place of freedom, healing and possibility, a mountain she has returned to while overcoming challenges far beyond its slopes.
Her latest summit does more than extend a Guinness World Record. It strengthens her place among Nepal’s greatest mountaineers and establishes her as one of the most resilient figures in global adventure sport.
Lhakpa Sherpa has conquered Everest 11 times. Her greater achievement, however, may be the life she rebuilt each time the world attempted to hold her back.
