In May 2021, three adventurous sisters broke the record for most sisters to climb Everest together.
Dawa Futi Sherpa, Tshering Namgya Sherpa and Nima Jangmu Sherpa (all Nepal) embarked on an adventurous expedition together, becoming the first group of three sisters to ever climb Everest together as a family.
The trio faced breathtaking glaciers and unforgiving crevasses, facing fast-changing weather and unpredictable conditions.
However, Mount Everest (aka Sagarmāthā or Chomolungma) was only the beginning of their incredible expedition that they named "Three Sisters on Seven Summits".
Under this ambitious banner, the three women aim to climb all the highest summits in seven different continents.
Mount Everest was the first peak of this project and, in May, they reached the top of the famous mountain with 12 other people.
"We feel so happy and lucky to hold a Guinness World Records title."
The three sisters come from a rural village in the Rolwaling valley, with Dawa Futi being the youngest among six siblings. They also have an older sister, married to a mountain guide, and an older brother who serves as a Lama at the Kapan Monastery.
Their other older brother, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, is a renowned climber in Nepal. At the time of writing, Mingma G Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest six times.
He also helped his sisters with their plan of standing atop Mount Everest, which is a mountain particularly close to the sisters' hearts.
The expedition was dedicated to their late father’s memory.
"Our grandfather and father were climbers. We want to dedicate our Mount Everest summit to our late father, Dorjee Sherpa, who used to be a climbing Sherpa and guide."
"In 1982, he joined a Japanese Expedition to Everest in winter and, there, he lost 8 fingers to frostbite, still he continued climbing with his remaining fingers until 2007," said Dawa Futi Sherpa.
Although he never stopped climbing, he never did achieve his dream of summiting Everest. In 2015, he passed away from intestinal cancer.
"We three sisters made a plan to climb Mount Everest together and we told our plan to our brother, who supported us and made our dreams come true," the sisters said.
During their summit of Everest, the sisters reported optimal conditions, including good weather and only a few other climbers.
"We didn’t face any major challenges of weather or traffic jams on the summit day," they explained, although things didn’t go smoothly for long.
"After, we had a plan to descend to Camp 2 but just after we reached Camp 4 the weather suddenly changed. It was too windy, so we decided to spend a night in Camp 4."
The wind created another problem for the expedition of brave climbers.
"Another major challenge is the giant crevasses: sometimes when it’s too windy you can’t see properly and you fall into them."
The three sisters had different levels of preparation but, coming from a family of legendary climbers, they were well aware of the stakes and prepared to face the capricious nature of Earth's highest mountain (not to be confused with the world's tallest mountain).
Nima Jangmu had extensive climbing experience, having summited Mount Everest in 2018, and holds her own record for the fastest triple-header of the Higher Eight-thousanders by a woman.
In the incredible time of 23 days 18 hours and 30 minutes she summited:
- Mount Lhotse, the world's fourth-highest mountain (8,516 m;27,940 ft)
- Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world (8,848.86 m - 29,031.7 ft)
- Mount Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain (8,586 m - 28,169 ft)
Now, she also shares a record with her beloved sisters.
Dawa is an experienced climber, too.
"I climbed Mount Amadablam in 2019," she says.
"Just after my Amadablam Expedition, I joined the Introductory Rock Climbing Course and The Basic Mountain Rescue Course Organized by Nepal Mountaineering Instructors Association."
However, the third record-breaking sister, Tshering Namgya, was new in the climbing field.
Before, she had only summited Mt. Lobuje to train for Mount Everest, which was her (no doubt grand) introduction to mountaineering.
As a new climber, she hit the ground running by facing the stunning landscapes and harsh weather conditions of the highest peak in the world.
Next in line for the "Three Sisters on Seven Summits" project is Mount Elbrus, in Russia.
Mount Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains, a giant dormant volcano that rises 5,642 m (18,510 ft) above the ground.
At the moment there is no concrete plan for Dawa Futi, Tshering Namgya and Nima Jangmu to attempt another record, but they all agree on one thing: if they try to climb their way to another world record, they will do it together.
Did you know that Everest is not the tallest mountain in the world?
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