Mount Everest climber breaks record for fastest ascent by a woman

Phunjo Lama, a mountaineer from Nepal, achieved a remarkable feat by setting the record for the fastest female ascent of Mount Everest. In an impressive feat of endurance, she conquered the peak in a challenging 24 hours and 26 minutes. Her journey involved a 14-hour and 31-minute climb to the summit, followed by a nine-hour and 18-minute descent. On May 23rd, at 3:52 PM, she began her ascent and reached the “top of the world” by 6:23 AM.

Mount Everest, with its notoriously short climbing season and harsh conditions, presents a formidable challenge. Photos often depict long lines of climbers, resembling “traffic jams,” stretching for hours. To overcome this obstacle, Lama strategically chose a nighttime climb, allowing her to avoid the massive crowds. Her estimation suggests that between May 21st and 22nd, there were approximately 6,700 people between Camps Two and Four. However, by the morning of the 24th, she encountered only “60 or 70” climbers.

Phunjo Lama spent three weeks getting used to the high altitude at Base Camp before her record-breaking climb. Her climbing partner, Samantha McMahon, joined her. Samantha aims to become the first Australian woman to conquer all 8,000-meter peaks — a very ambitious goal.

This climb marked Lama’s second attempt at the summit. In 2018, she previously set the record with a time of 39 hours and six minutes (according to Guinness World Records, which considers the entire round trip from Base Camp).

However, that record was broken in 2021 by Hong Kong’s Ada Tsang (25 hours and 50 minutes). The current fastest ascent record for men is held by Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who reached the top in an astonishing 10 hours and 56 minutes, set in 2003.

Despite this incredible achievement, Lama downplays the pursuit of records and recognition.

Interestingly, someone else submitted her 2018 record to Guinness World Records on her behalf.

Her background provides clues to her natural talent for high-altitude challenges. Growing up in Nepal’s remote Tsum Valley, which is located at an altitude of 4,500-5,000 meters above sea level, Lama initially spoke only a local dialect.

It was only after moving to Kathmandu as a teenager that she learned Nepali and then English. This unique upbringing instilled in her a deep connection to the mountains and perhaps a natural ability to thrive at high altitudes.

“Mountains are my playground and my home,” she told CNN. “A mountain never says that you are a woman and you are a man. Which is why I like mountains, because a mountain is always equal.”

The mountaineering guide shared that her climbing clients are about 75% male and 25% female, but she hopes to achieve a more balanced representation in the future Phunjo Lama remains optimistic: “I’m sure my dream will come true.”

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