Nepali women break Everest barrier
Updated
[an error occurred while processing this directive]This year's Everest climbing season saw hundreds of people reach the summit. Among the throng at Base Camp, were a group of ten young Nepali women on an expedition to challenge the notion of who is allowed to climb the world's highest peak.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: Nepalese female expedition leader Susmita Maskey
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MASKEY: "Mountaineering was something I never imagined to in, when I was a child, but once I was in mountain I just felt I belonged there and I felt mountain calling me all the time."
COCHRANE:Susmita Maskey grew up in a Newari community in Kathmandu, a long way - both geographically and culturally - from the Himalayas.
In fact, only seven Nepali women have ever reached the summit of the world's tallest mountain.
One of the women was originally from the Newari community; the other six came from the Sherpa caste, the legendary mountain people whose very name has become synonymous with high altitude climbing guides.
In 2003, Susmita was invited to join a mountaineering training course and an offhand comment sparked an amazing journey of disappointment and triumph.
MASKEY: "I was at Everest Base Camp for a few weeks and people there were really amazed to see a city girl coming to mounatins to do mountaineering training. A few people from international media just asked me if I was thinking about doing Mt Everest at some time and with no reason I said, "Yes!". And from that day I started to dream of getting on top of Mt Everest."
COCHRANE: But this city girl was in for a few surprises about the conservative attitudes of those in the Everest industry.
MASKEY: "People in mountaineering community didn't want any external people to come to their field and maybe take away their jobs. And being a woman they thought maybe a woman who is not from their community shouldn't be doing all these things."
COCHRANE: Not deterred, Susmita made her first attempt at Everest in 2005.
SFX - walking with equipment
But, at the Hillary Step, just 48 meters from the summit, she was stopped. Not by lack of oxygen or energy, but by discrimination based on her caste.
MASKEY: "And when I was at South Summit, my guide he said that he's not going to support me in going up further. I asked him why and he gave some reasons, like none of the other communities have gone besides ours. But I continued and when I was at Hillary Step he just pulled off with my harness and said, 'I'm not going to let you go and I'm not going myself also, so you can't go, we have to turn back.'"
COCHRANE: Susmita wasn't the only young Nepali woman to be stopped by Everest's caste barrier.
In 2007, another non-Sherpa climber, 22-year-old Usha Bista, attempted Everest and was lucky to survive.
MASKEY: "She was left around 8,300 meters all alone by her climbing guides. She had high altitude sickness, she had frostbite in her hands and feet and she was left there to die. And people from other team rescued her all the way to Kathmandu."
COCHRANE: Usha Bista recovered and this year joined Susmita and others in planning an all female climbing expedition. After months of intensive training, ten young Nepali women were ready to tackle Everest, in what they called the First Inclusive Women's Sagamartha Expedition. This time they had some powerful friends. Their expedition manager holds the speed climbing record for Everest. Plus they were sponsored by the UN World Food Program, the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation and a host of other local and international organisations.
MASKEY: (SFX - footsteps crunching on snow) "The moment I reached the summit, I felt like I've been there all the time. I felt like I belong to be on the summit, I was meant to be on the summit… Because since the day I return back from the Hillary Step in 2005, every day, every morning I woke up dreaming of getting on the top and every night I slept dreaming to be on the top of Mt Everest…. When the real time came I felt like, 'Oh I've been here all the time."
COCHRANE: All ten members of the team safely reached the summit, an amazing success for any expedition.
Susmita hopes the efforts of the team to overcome gender bias and caste discrimination will be an inspiration to other young Nepalis.
