Purnima Shrestha scales Everest for sixth time amid record spring crowds
The Nepali climber and photojournalist adds another ascent to a career that has made her one of the country’s most prominent female mountaineers on Mount Everest.
Nepali climber and photojournalist Purnima Shrestha reached the summit of Mount Everest for the sixth time on Wednesday, adding another ascent to a career that has come to reflect the growing presence of Nepali women in high-altitude mountaineering.
Officials at the Department of Tourism’s Everest base-camp office said Shrestha summited as part of an expedition organised by Kathmandu-based Satori Adventures.
Her latest ascent comes a year after a record-setting run that brought her international attention. In the Spring of 2025, she climbed Everest three times in a single season, becoming the first woman known to achieve such a feat.
Purnima has climbed eight of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, establishing herself as one of Nepal’s most prominent female alpinists.
Her achievements stand out in a field where women, particularly Nepali women, remain underrepresented, and she continues to inspire a new generation of female mountaineers.
The 2026 Everest spring season has seen heavy traffic on the mountain, with 494 fee-paying climbers receiving permits to attempt the peak from the Nepali side.
On May 17, Lhakpa Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 11th time, the highest number of ascents recorded by a woman on the world’s highest peak.
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa remains the only Nepali woman to have completed all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.
Purnima Shrestha follows closely behind, continuing to build a record that places her among Nepal’s leading high-altitude climbers.
