# Lhakpa Sherpa

_Nepalese mountain climber form the nation of Sherpa having the maximum number of climbs on Everest_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/lhakpa-sherpa
Last updated: 2026-10-07

> Lhakpa Sherpa is a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. She has climbed Mount Everest 11 times, the most by any woman in the world. Her record-breaking 10th climb was on May 12, 2022, which she financed via a crowd-funding campaign. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to climb and descend Everest successfully. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1974 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Makalu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P27))
- **Occupation:** mountaineer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P106))
- **Awards:** BBC 100 Women ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P166))
- **Instagram:** mountain_queen_10 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241#P2003))

## Early life and education

- Lhakpa Sherpa was born in a cave one of 11 children, growing up in Balakharka, a village in the Makalu, Nepal region of the Himalayas. ([BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61424866), [Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2005/lapkasherpa2005.htm), [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/mount-everest-lhakpa-sherpa-climbed-nine-times-world-record))
- She carried her brother two hours to school and back. ([Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2005/lapkasherpa2005.htm), [BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61424866))
- Lhakpa is named for the day of the week she was born on (Wednesday). ([Stuff](http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/80058324/mt-everests-greatest-female-climber-back-for-7th-ascent))
- Due to her lack of formal education, she has worked as a housekeeper and at various odd jobs, including for 7-Eleven and Whole Foods Market. ([Stuff](http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/80058324/mt-everests-greatest-female-climber-back-for-7th-ascent), [Outside Online](http://www.outsideonline.com/2078361/most-successful-female-everest-climber-all-time-housekeeper-hartford-connecticut), [Climbing](https://www.climbing.com/people/lhakpa-sherpa-wil/), [nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/sports/lhakpa-sherpa-everest.html))
- In interviews she has expressed her continued desire to continue her mountaineering activities, similar to such climbers as George Mallory and Yuichiro Miura. ([The Daily Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/everests-greatest-ever-female-climber-lhakpa-sherpa---the-unknow/))
- She has two daughters, Sunny and Shiny, and one son, Nima, from a previous relationship. ([Outside Online](http://www.outsideonline.com/2078361/most-successful-female-everest-climber-all-time-housekeeper-hartford-connecticut))

## Career

- In 2000 she was the leader of an expedition sponsored by Asian Trekking. ([Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2005/lapkasherpa2005.htm))
- On May 18, 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to summit Mount Everest and survive (see also Pasang Lhamu Sherpa). ([Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2005/lapkasherpa2005.htm), [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/mount-everest-lhakpa-sherpa-climbed-nine-times-world-record))
- The climb was with the Nepali Women Millennium Expedition. ([BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36410878))
- In 2003, PBS noted that she had summited Mount Everest three times, the most for a woman. ([Frontline](https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nepal/update.html))
- In May 2003 she reached the summit with her sister and brother; Ming Kipa and Mingma Gelu. ([Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everestnews3/romnorthdis5.htm))
- By 2007, Lhakpa Sherpa had summited Everest six times since 1999 and her husband summited nine. ([Everest News](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2008/lapkasherpa2008.htm))

## Key decisions and achievements

- In 2016, she was listed among the BBC's 100 most inspirational and influential women. ([BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-38012048))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lhakpa_Sherpa&oldid=1371718857), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Questions

**When was Lhakpa Sherpa born?**  
Lhakpa Sherpa was born on 1974 in Makalu.

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- [Makalu, Nepal](https://diginpl.com/places/makalu-nepal)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Lhakpa Sherpa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhakpa_Sherpa) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): लाक्पा शेर्पा](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q24572241](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24572241) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Portrait de Lhakpa Sherpa.jpg by Hibrideacus (CC0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_de_Lhakpa_Sherpa.jpg)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Lhakpa Sherpa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lhakpa_Sherpa&oldid=1371718857) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [BBC News: Lhakpa Sherpa: Woman climbs Everest for record tenth time (2022-05-12)](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61424866)
- [Everest News: Mt. Everest 2005: Lakpa Sherpa (2000-05-18)](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2005/lapkasherpa2005.htm)
- [The Guardian: She climbed Everest nine times and set a world record – so why doesn't she have sponsors? (31 October 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/mount-everest-lhakpa-sherpa-climbed-nine-times-world-record)
- [Stuff: Mt Everest's greatest female climber back for 7th ascent](http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/80058324/mt-everests-greatest-female-climber-back-for-7th-ascent)
- [Outside Online: The Most Successful Female Everest Climber of All Time Is a Housekeeper in Hartford, Connecticut (2016-05-10)](http://www.outsideonline.com/2078361/most-successful-female-everest-climber-all-time-housekeeper-hartford-connecticut)
- [Climbing: Lhakpa Sherpa: What I've Learned (UPDATED: Tenth Everest Summit) (2022-05-10)](https://www.climbing.com/people/lhakpa-sherpa-wil/)
- [nytimes.com: The Queen of Everest Trains While Working at Whole Foods](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/sports/lhakpa-sherpa-everest.html)
- [The Daily Telegraph: Everest's greatest ever female climber: Lhakpa Sherpa - the unknown mountaineering hero who works in a 7-Eleven in Connecticut (15 May 2016)](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/everests-greatest-ever-female-climber-lhakpa-sherpa---the-unknow/)
- [BBC News: I want to climb Everest 10 times (15 June 2016)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36410878)
- [Frontline: Dreams of Chomolongma . Reaching for a Record](https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nepal/update.html)
- [Everest News: Everest 2003: Romanian Mt. Everest Expedition North Side](http://www.everestnews.com/everestnews3/romnorthdis5.htm)
- [Everest News: Everest Summiters \[sic\] Lakpa Sherpa and George Dijmarescu slide show/video presentation open to the public (2000-05-18)](http://www.everestnews.com/everest2008/lapkasherpa2008.htm)
- [BBC News: BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list? (18 November 2016)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-38012048)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Lhakpa Sherpa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Portrait de Lhakpa Sherpa.jpg — Hibrideacus, CC0.

## Cite this page

"Lhakpa Sherpa". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/lhakpa-sherpa. Retrieved 8 November 2026.