Records & People

The Dishwasher Who Owns Everest's Toughest Record: Lhakpa Sherpa's 11th Summit

Born in a cave in the Makalu foothills, Lhakpa Sherpa survived domestic abuse and years of dishwashing shifts in Connecticut — then returned to…

By Dawa Sherpa · Jul 20, 2026

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Key facts Lhakpa Sherpa , 53, summited Everest for the 11th time on May 17, 2026 — more ascents than any other woman in history. She was born in 1973 in a cave in Balakharka, in Nepal's remote Makalu region, one of eleven children, and never attended school…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

What this means for trekkers

What this means for you Lhakpa's record was built almost entirely on the Nepal and Tibet sides of the very mountain our trekkers walk toward every autumn and spring. Her three south-route summits went through the same Khumbu villages, Sherpa lodges and Base…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

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