Dawa Yangzum Sherpa: my favourite mountain

Dawa Yangzum Sherpa: my favourite mountain

Dawa Yangzum Sherpa is a record-breaking mountain climber whose accolades, like her, know no bounds. She first climbed Everest in 2012. Five years later, she was awarded International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) certification, becoming Nepal’s first female international mountaineering guide. Then in 2019, she was the first Nepalese woman to summit the world’s fifth-highest mountain, Makalu. She was part of a team of three Nepalese women who were the first from their country to summit K2. And she was the first woman in the world to reach Manaslu's true summit in 2021. Here, Sherpa reveals why Ama Dablam, in Nepal, provides the most stunning mountain experience in the world.

My favourite mountain is Ama Dablam because it’s so beautiful. If you go to Everest base camp, being able to see Everest comes later. But you can see Ama Dablam the whole time as you move up the track from its base camp, with the mountain’s shape changing as you move.

The base camp itself is special because it’s not in the glacier, but in beautiful grassland, which you can enjoy even if you’re not climbing. It is also unique because there is a hotel. You have the option to stay there if you don’t want to live in a tent – the usual accommodation for a base camp.

The climb is almost 7,000 metres. It’s not deadly dangerous or scary for that location. But it’s a technically interesting peak; a little harder with the mix of skills needed. During the climb you can see glimmering villages of homes with the lights on, down the mountain. And it’s beautiful in that way, too.