Pasang was raised in Lukla, Nepal but finished high school in Kathmandu. When she was 15, she and her sister relocated after they were orphaned by the death of their mother. In Kathmandu, Pasang started studying mountaineering. Four years later, she enrolled in the Khumbu Climbing School.<\/span><\/i> Then she earned a diploma in mountaineering from the \u00c9cole Nationale du Ski et de l\u2019Alpinisme in Chamonix, France. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n We spoke with Pasang about her path to guiding the highest peaks in the world, her goal to educate Nepali girls, how travel changed her and her new adventure as a mom.<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n It\u2019s only coincidence that I share a name with the first Nepali woman to climb Mt. Everest, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa. I am Buddhist so when I was born my parents took me to the lama to get a name. I was born on Friday, so my first name is Pasang. Lhamu means goddess. Sherpa is my surname. And then I took a second surname from my husband when we married, which is Akita. <\/span><\/p>\n I grew up in Lukla. I walked to school every day, about 30 minutes each way, and I\u2019d see many people coming to climb mountains and to trek. I wanted to be like these people. Many Sherpa also climb mountains. But Sherpa mountaineers are mostly men. <\/span><\/p>\n But it was my dream to be a mountaineer and to guide. I love the mountains. I grew up in the mountains and in nature. <\/span><\/p>\n After high school, I took mountaineering classes, then I went to the Khumbu Mountaineering School. I trained there, but I didn\u2019t see many other women training, and I didn\u2019t see any other women working in the mountains. But I knew that being a mountaineering guide was what I want to do. I feel so comfortable in the mountains–it is my home.<\/span><\/p>\n Mountaineering is physically demanding and people think women aren\u2019t strong enough. It was hard to get on expeditions. Then I met a Spanish couple who were looking for a trekking guide in Khumbu. I am from Khumbu, and they offered me a job and paid me really well. So in 2006, I went on an expedition to an unclimbed peak. There I met a Japanese guy who said I could come on his expedition to Everest in 2007. After that, I came to the U.S. and guided on Mt. Rainier for Alpine International. <\/span><\/p>\n In the U.S., I felt more encouraged. It was a little bit hard for me to work in such a different culture than mine. But in the U.S. there are lots of women working in the outdoors. I feel more freedom here. In Nepal, being in mountains surround by all men, people talk about you. You\u2019re not just another guide, but a woman guide. There is not equal pay for women and men guides.<\/span><\/p>\n In the U.S., women are treated equally in the mountains. <\/span><\/p>\n By being a guide, I want to show that women can also work in mountains, that mountain guiding can also be a profession for women, that the mountains are for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n Woman are supposed to get married at an early age and then take care of family and children. The expectation is that a woman will be a good wife, good daughter and good daughter-in-law. When we work, we\u2019re encouraged to do indoor things, like be a nurse or teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n Many men mountaineers are big and strong. But women have other characteristics that are good on an expedition. In general, women have a loving, caring nature. Nurturing is instinct for women. When you are guiding, your job is not just taking clients into the mountains, but back home safely. Women use their softer, female approach to help clients reach their goals, including male clients.<\/span><\/p>\n On every trip, I learn so many things. <\/span>When you see different countries, different lifestyles, you realize how happy and comfortable you already are. Your problems go away. When you stay in one place, you always want more, and you\u2019re never satisfied when you have it. In Nepal growing up, I\u2019d complain that women are always behind and that they never get treated equally. Then I travelled in Pakistan when I climbed K2, and I saw that women are not allowed to be in a picture, not allowed to walk by themselves, and I realized that Nepal is much better than Pakistan for women. <\/span><\/p>\n I am 34. I am married. I have a\u00a0two-month-old son. If I can teach him one thing, it\u2019s that he should follow his dream, do what he really wants to do. I will always encourage him to listen to his heart. I will raise him in Nepal most of the time. This year, I will guide more trekking but no climbing so I can take him with me. <\/span><\/p>\n After the Earthquake in Nepal in 2015, we brought a lot of medicine and supplies to remote communities. Most of those communities have rebuilt, though some of the most remote are still living under tarps. I am still taking medicine to elderly people in remote areas, and helping Burmese refugees in Kathmandu. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m happy when I look back, and that I chose mountains and that the mountains accepted me. I am happy that I can be an example for young Nepali women. I don\u2019t have a big goal to climb this or that right now. What I want to do is help Nepali girls get an education. <\/span><\/p>\n I was very lucky as a child. Even though both my parents died by the time I was 15, I was able to go to school. I got a basic education that helped me to get where I am. Many women in Nepal can\u2019t get a basic education. Their parents are too poor. I am planning to create a scholarship program for remote areas. I don\u2019t want to take girls from their communities\u2014it\u2019s important for them to learn their culture and to be part of village life.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/days-to-come\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Pas1-compressor.jpg\")
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Most Sherpa don\u2019t support the idea of women climbing in the Himalayas–they think it\u2019s a male job and too dangerous for women. <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Getting a job was really hard. <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Culturally, in Nepal, women are encouraged to be home. <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Travelling gives me life. <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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