Phunjo Jhangmu Lama breaks record for the fastest female Everest ascent
Phunjo Jhangmu Lama reached Everest's summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, shattering the previous record for the fastest female ascent.
Nepali climber Phunjo Jhangmu Lama has set a new world record for the fastest ascent of Mount Everest by a female climber, officials said.
Lama reached the summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, surpassing the previous record held by Ada Tsang Yin-hung of Hong Kong. Tsang Yin-hung climbed Everest in 25 hours and 50 minutes, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Lama left the base camp at 15:52 on May 22 and reached the summit at 06:23 on May 23, according to Khimlal Gautam, Chief of the Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office at the base camp. "She is descending and is currently at the balcony," Gautam said.
In 2018, Lama first gained recognition with the fastest ascent of Mount Everest from the Nepal side by a female, summiting in 39 hours and 6 minutes. However, her record was broken in May 2021 by Tsang Yin-hung, who completed her climb 14 hours faster.
Lama, who is a guide and long-line sling rescuer, had been preparing at the base camp for this record attempt, said Gobinda Gurung, Managing Director of her expedition organizer Tag Nepal. Growing up in the Tsum Valley in Gorkha, north west of Kathmandu, Lama has summited several major peaks, including Manaslu, Ama Dablam, Lobuche, Denali, and Cho Oyu.
Tsang Yin-hung, a schoolteacher from Hong Kong, set her record in 2021 by summiting Everest in 25 hours and 50 minutes, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The overall fastest ascent record is held by Sherpa guide Lakpa Gelu, who climbed the peak in 10 hours and 56 minutes.
