# Pasang Lhamu Sherpa

_Nepalese mountain climber (1961–1993)_

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

> Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was a Nepali mountaineer and trekking guide who became the first Nepali woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. She reached the summit on 22 April 1993 by the South Col and Southeast Ridge, but died during the descent.
Her achievement made her a prominent national figure in Nepal. She was posthumously awarded the Nepal Tara, and was later recognised by the Government of Nepal as a National Luminary.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 10 December 1961 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Lukla ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P19))
- **Died:** 22 April 1993 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P570))
- **Place of death:** Mount Everest ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P27))
- **Occupation:** mountaineer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P106))
- **Awards:** Order of the Star of Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584#P166))

## Early life and education

- The Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation identifies her birthplace as Surke, in what is now Ward No. 2 of Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/news/70-national-luminary-pasang-lhamu-sherpa-memorial-volleyball-tournament))
- Other biographies have described her birthplace more broadly as Lukla or the Lukla area. ([Access Nepal Tour](https://accessnepaltour.com/pasang-lhamu-sherpa/))
- ECS Nepal gives her date of birth as 10 December 1961, while a later Nepal News biography gives 16 December 1961. ([ECS Nepal](https://www.ecs.com.np/features/blazing-a-trail-to-the-top))
- She subsequently worked as a trekking guide. ([ECS Nepal](https://www.ecs.com.np/features/blazing-a-trail-to-the-top))
- The couple had three children: daughters Dawa Futi Sherpa and Diki Sherpa, and a son, Namgyal Sherpa. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421100/Asia-Nepal-Everest-First-Ascent-by-a-Nepalese-Woman-and-Tragedy), [Access Nepal Tour](https://accessnepaltour.com/pasang-lhamu-sherpa/))

## Career

- In 1987 she climbed Pisang Peak and Yala Peak, and in 1990 she climbed Mont Blanc in France. ([ECS Nepal](https://www.ecs.com.np/features/blazing-a-trail-to-the-top))
- Her previous attempts took place in 1990, 1991 and 1992. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421100/Asia-Nepal-Everest-First-Ascent-by-a-Nepalese-Woman-and-Tragedy))
- In 1993, Pasang Lhamu and her husband organised the Nepalese Women's Sagarmatha Expedition with the aim of putting the first Nepali woman on the summit of Everest. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421100/Asia-Nepal-Everest-First-Ascent-by-a-Nepalese-Woman-and-Tragedy))
- The contemporary account by mountaineering chronicler Elizabeth Hawley in the American Alpine Journal lists the party as Pasang Lhamu, Sonam Tshering Sherpa, Dawa Tashi Sherpa, Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, Pemba Nuru Sherpa and Nawang Thile Sherpa. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421100/Asia-Nepal-Everest-First-Ascent-by-a-Nepalese-Woman-and-Tragedy))
- An American Alpine Club summary likewise records all six as having reached the summit that day. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421000/Asia-Nepal-Mount-Everest-Pre-Monsoon-Summary))
- The Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation gives a partly different list, naming Sonam Tshering Sherpa, Lhakpa Noru Sherpa, Pemba Dorje Sherpa and Dawa Tashi Sherpa among the climbers accompanying her. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))

## Key decisions and achievements

- The National Youth Foundation also conferred its 1993–94 Youth Excellence Award on her. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))
- A life-size statue of her was erected at Chuchepati in the Boudha area of Kathmandu, and Nepal issued a postage stamp in her honour. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))
- The Government of Nepal later recognised her as a National Luminary. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))
- Jasamba Himal, also known as Nangpai Gosum I, in the Mahalangur Himal, was officially renamed Pasang Lhamu Chuli by the Government of Nepal after her death. ([American Alpine Journal](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201031200))
- The Ministry of Agriculture named a wheat cultivar Pasang Lhamu in her honour. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))
- The Pasang Lhamu Memorial Hall was established in Dhulabari, Jhapa District, and the 117 km Trishuli–Dhunche road was named the Pasang Lhamu Highway in her honour. ([Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pasang_Lhamu_Sherpa&oldid=1372313493), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Questions

**When was Pasang Lhamu Sherpa born?**  
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was born on 10 December 1961 in Lukla.

## Related

- [Lukla](https://diginpl.com/places/lukla)
- [Mount Everest](https://diginpl.com/places/mount-everest)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Pasang Lhamu Sherpa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasang_Lhamu_Sherpa) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): पासाङ ल्हामु शेर्पा](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%99_%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81_%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 Q425584](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q425584) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Pasang.jpg by Krish Dulal (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pasang.jpg)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Pasang Lhamu Sherpa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pasang_Lhamu_Sherpa&oldid=1372313493) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation: National Luminary Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Memorial Volleyball Tournament (17 June 2021)](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/news/70-national-luminary-pasang-lhamu-sherpa-memorial-volleyball-tournament)
- [Access Nepal Tour: Pasang Lhamu Sherpa: History, Biography, Facts](https://accessnepaltour.com/pasang-lhamu-sherpa/)
- [ECS Nepal: Blazing a trail to the top](https://www.ecs.com.np/features/blazing-a-trail-to-the-top)
- [American Alpine Journal: Everest, First Ascent by a Nepalese Woman and Tragedy](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421100/Asia-Nepal-Everest-First-Ascent-by-a-Nepalese-Woman-and-Tragedy)
- [American Alpine Journal: Mount Everest, Nepal Pre-Monsoon Summary](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199421000/Asia-Nepal-Mount-Everest-Pre-Monsoon-Summary)
- [Pasang Lhamu Mountaineering Foundation: About Us](https://pasanglhamufoundation.org/about-us)
- [American Alpine Journal: Pasang Lhamu Chuli (7,352m), Southeast Face, Hook or Crook](https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201031200)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Pasang.jpg — Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Pasang Lhamu Sherpa". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/pasang-lhamu-sherpa. Retrieved 21 October 2026.