Everest and the 7 Summits

Mt Everest, 2008

Maya scaled Mt Everest as a member of ‘First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition 2008 Spring’ (FIWSE) on 22nd May 2008.
The expedition was organized by Climber’s Club with the objective of increasing Nepali women’s participation in mountaineering. Only seven Nepali women had reached the top of the world till 2007.
Supporters of the expedition include Nepal Government, United Nations World Food Programme, BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation, United Nations Development Programme, MTV Exit, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and many more supporters. All ten women in the team made it to the summit and by May 25th, 2008, FIWSE became the most successful and largest women expedition to climb Everest.

Mt Kosciuszko, 2010

7th July, 2010 was a perfect weather day with clear blue sky. The Seven Summits Women Team members made the first international ascent.
In addition to the climb, on 13th July the team presented a statue of Lord Buddha originally handed by the Prime Minister of Nepal Mr Madhav Kumar Nepal to Mr David Holly, Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asia Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The team made 18 presentations at various avenues including schools, communities, fundraising dinner and other interactions. Audiences were mesmerized to see pictures of the Himalayan giants and inspired by the team’s story.

Mt Elbrus, Russia, 2010

Mt Elbrus, the tallest mountain in the European continent came next for Maya and her team. They reached the summit on August 29th 2010 at 12:30 pm. She left with the team for Russia on 24th August 2010. Nepal Government, The North Face and Non-Residential Nepalis financially supported the climb in Russia. Nepali Embassy in Russia hosted the team during their stay in Moscow.
On 27th August, the team headed towards the mountain, took shelter at the barrel and went for acclimatization trip towards Pasthukov Rocks. 28th August was the rest day. The team visited a second world war memorial museum in the Elbrus region. Presence of all-women team was a surprise to many guides on the climb.

Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, 2013

Seven Summits Women Team made it to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro on 5th March 2013 at 7:45 am together with four African women, Hadzabe teacher Anna Philipa, youth activist Ashura Kayupayuka, South African actor Hlubi Mboya and WFP staff Nima. Kilimanjaro climb was organized to highlight the significance of girl education, marking the International Women’s Day 2013.
After the climb, the team visited 7 schools in Tanzania showcasing Nimdoma as a success story of girl education.
Following the educational tour, 7 Summits Women Team together with Nepal Tourism Board promoted destination Nepal in Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg through celebratory events.

The climb was supported by Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, UN World Food Programme-Tanzania , The North Face, Non-Resident Nepalis Association and Panchakanya Group.

Mt Aconcagua, Argentina, South America, 2014

On Mt Aconcagua, Maya reached the 6500 meter Plaza De Independence on 23rd February 2014. Four of her team mates reached the summit that evening.
Maya Gurung, Shailee Basnet and Pujan Acharya turned around from Plaza de Independencia to avoid various possible risks including that of frostbite.
The climb typically takes 18-21 days with summit target normally on the 14th day. However owing to bad weather the team had only summit window of 23rd February. The members pushed for the summit on the 9th day of the expedition. In a climb that normally takes more than two weeks, all members arrived safely back to the base camp on the 10th day of the expedition.
Mission supporters include Government of Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board as well as Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), The North Face, Panchakanya Group, Golchha Organization, President Travel, Association of Chartered Accountants Nepal, NEBICO, Mountain Delight Treks and SmartPaani.
The climb was organized marking International Women’s Day 2014 highlighting the cause of education, empowerment and environment. Following the climb, Nepal Tourism Board organized two celebratory events in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo with an objective to promote destination Nepal in the South American continent. Embassy of Nepal in Brazil coordinated the events. The team celebrated Women’s Day in experience sharing session with Professional Women’s Network in Sao Paulo.

Mt Vinson Massif, Antarctica, 2014

Maya, Nimdoma, Pema Diki and Chunu marked the grand finale of the mission with the successful ascent of the 7th summit, Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December 2014 and a landmark in the international promotion of Nepal with a successful event in Santiago, Chile in January 2015.
Nimdoma Sherpa, Maya Gurung, Chunu Shrestha and Pema Diki Sherpa made it to the summit of Mt Vinson Massif on 23rd December 2014 at 3:00 pm. The team waved the national flag atop the highest mountain on the southern end of the world.
The climb was organized by New Zealand based company Adventure Consultatnts Pvt Ltd. It was supported by the Nepal Government, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Mountaineering Association among others.