Everest: The woman who was on top of the world! Twice

A class VIII dropout and working in her family tea shop, Chhurim has been on the top of the world. Literally. Not once, but twice! For, she climbed the Mt Everest twice within 10 days last summer — a Guinness record.

“I proved that women are equal to men. They can do everything what they want,” Chhurim told DNA from Kathmandu over phone, bubbling with joy over her achievement.

The 29-year-old Sherpa has been the toast of the media across the world for the past one week ever since the Guinness Book of World Records recognised her as the first woman to scale the world's tallest peak twice in a season.

So, how was it standing atop the world? “It was the biggest moment of my life. My biggest dream was in front of me. It was amazing. The moment I reached the peak, I forgot everything – even my body pain and exhaustion. Our group of five stayed there for 20 minutes.”

Chhurim Dolma Sherpa scaled the 8,850-metre summit on May 12, 2012, descended to the base camp to rest for two days and then scaled the peak again on May 19 defeating harsh weather and low oxygen level.

But why a second time? Chhurim says with a laugh, “I am not sure, but something inside me was pushing me to take another chance. As soon as I came down to the base camp, I started feeling that one summit was not enough. I wanted more. The woman inside me was pushing me hard to scale again. People warned me of the grave risk, but the inner voice was louder than everything. I knew that I was not made for just one summit. I wanted to do something extraordinary to prove myself and womanhood.”

When other mountaineers told her that no woman had dome something like that, it only strengthened her resolve. Besides, her three brothers had also scaled the Mt Everest once — she definitely deserved more. “All these factors only intensified my zeal,” Chhurim told DNA through her neighbour, who acted as a translator for the interview.

Describing her double bonanza, she says, “For a few seconds, I couldn’t believe that I had done it. It was an extremely proud moment as I had not only proved myself but also made my parents proud — they did everything possible to fulfill my dreams. It was like an enlightenment. That moment, I found my mission of life.”

It is well known that scaling the Everest is riddled with many a risk. And, although Chhurim did, at certain stretches along the way, pause to ponder before taking her next step, the doughty-spirited woman carried on courageously till she reached the pinnacle of success – in her very first attempt..

Explaining the challenges of a woman climber, the self-inspired Chhurim says, “It’s really very tough for a woman. You have to climb for days upward on slippery ice facing snow storms and in low level of oxygen. It needs rigorous training, besides huge mental and physical strength. Also one needs to carry nearly 14 kg of weight including oxygen cylinder and food.”

Interestingly, just three years ago, the Sherpa who hails from Ghunsa district, a tourist place at 4,400 metres, was working at the small hotel run by parents. Her job was to sweep the floor, wash the utensils and sometimes cook.

Chhurim ((in Nepalese Chhu means water and rim means mountain) says, “I was doing all chores at our hotel like my four sisters. I had no dreams and was happy helping my parents. Suddenly, the mountains started calling me. The urge to scale the Sagarmatha got so intense that I couldn’t stop myself from telling my family about it.”

The fact that her brothers are also climbers helped her. Her parents were initially amused, but finally gave in. However, there was no money for such a costly dream.

“Rs3 lakh was required for my training. They put in all their savings, and then borrowed the rest from friends and relatives,” says Chhurim, praising her parents who made her dream come true.

Then, they chose off tourist season for training to avoid any inconvenience to the family business. After a month of basic training, she underwent 14 days of ice climbing training. Finally, she underwent another advance training at Ladakh for a fortnight.

Chhurim said she is not ready to quit. “The Everest is the first of the highest mountains that I have climbed. I will continue mountaineering and hope to scale more peaks,” says the lady who now stays in Kathmandu with her married sister to pursue her new career.

However, the path is not easy. “Till now, I have not earned anything out of my summit. Guinness record is also just a certificate. Let’s see what is there in my future,” she says.