Nepal's Phunjo Lama Achieves Remarkable Feat: Sets New Record for Fastest Ascent of Mount Everest by a Woman

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Nepal's Phunjo Lama has set a new world record for the fastest ascent of Mount Everest by a woman, completing the climb in just 24 hours and 26 minutes without taking a break to sleep.

Her journey from Everest Base Camp to the summit lasted 14 hours and 31 minutes, with the descent taking another nine hours and 18 minutes. She started her ascent at 3:52 p.m. on May 23 and reached the top of the world at 6:23 a.m. the next day.

The limited climbing season and tough conditions on Mount Everest mean there is only a small window of opportunity to reach the summit. Every year, photos show long lines of climbers waiting for their chance to make it to the top, sometimes causing "traffic jams" that can last for hours.

Climbing overnight helped Lama avoid the large crowds, as she shared with CNN. She noticed that on May 21 and 22, there were around 6,700 people between Camps Two and Four. By the morning of the 24th, she found herself trailing behind only "60 or 70" people.

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Lama spent three weeks at Base Camp to acclimate to the extreme altitude before attempting the fastest ascent record. Her climbing partner, Samantha McMahon, also joined her. Samantha has set a goal to become the first Australian woman to climb all of the world's 8,000-meter peaks.

Mount Everest stands at a towering height of 8,849 meters (29,032 feet).

According to Guinness World Records, Nirmal Purja, also known as Nims, made his first Everest record in 2018, completing the journey from Base Camp in just 39 hours and six minutes. However, this record was surpassed in 2021 by Ada Tsang from Hong Kong, who accomplished the feat in 25 hours and 50 minutes. This year marked Nims' second successful ascent of Everest.

The fastest ascent by a male climber was set by Nepali Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa in 2003, taking 10 hours and 56 minutes.

Although she holds this record, Lama is not focused on setting more records or gaining recognition from Guinness. In 2018, someone else reached out to the record-keeping company on her behalf.

Lama, who grew up in a yak herding community in Nepal's Tsum Valley, spent most of her life living at high altitudes of 4,500-5,000 meters above sea level. She spoke a local dialect until she moved to Kathmandu as a teenager, where she learned to speak Nepali and later English.

To Lama, mountains are not just a profession but also her playground and home. In an interview with CNN, she expressed her love for mountains, stating that they do not discriminate based on gender. This is why she feels a strong connection with mountains, as they are always equal and welcoming to everyone.

Lama believes in equality and that is reflected in her work. Currently, the majority of her climbing clients are male, making up about 75%, while females account for 25%. However, Lama aims to achieve a perfect balance with a fifty-fifty ratio in the future.

She remains optimistic and confident that her dream of equal representation among her climbing clients will eventually be realized.

Lama has already summited Alaska’s Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, and hopes to climb K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest peak.

Kim Lal Gautam places the Nepali flag on Phunjo Lama on her arrival at the airport in Kathmandu.

Niranjan Shrestha/AP

The 2024 climbing season has seen some new developments on Mount Everest.

All climbers were provided with tracking chips to wear, a first in the mountain's history. These chips will help in locating and rescuing lost climbers more efficiently.

They were also required to save their poop in plastic bags and take it off of the mountain. Trash, including human waste, has been a significant problem as the number of Everest climbers increases.

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