Phidim, April 10

A team of three women mountaineers have set out to climb the third highest peak in the world, Mt Kanchenjunga, the first expedition to the mountain in two years.

Okhaldhunga’s Maya Sherpa, Solukhumbu’s Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, and Dolakha’s Dawa Yangjom Sherpa, left for Taplejung on April 9, to scale Mt Kanchenjunga as part of their ‘Three women, three tops’ campaign.

Gyanendra Shrestha at the Ministry of Tourism said that no one had attempted to climb the peak after eight people died in two separate expeditions, three of them in an expedition in 2013 and five in 2014.

The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Taplejung Chapter today welcomed and felicitated the three women. They will walk to Kanchenjunga from Taplejung’s Yamphudin.

The expedition is estimated to cost Rs 5 million. Seven Summit Trekking Agency is providing assistance to the expedition.

It will take up to fifty days to scale the mountain.

The team had scaled Mt Everest in 2007 and the second highest peak in the world Mt K2 in 2014 as part of the same campaign.

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa said, “We want to prove that women can climb mountains, and also want to increase awareness on the impact of climate change.”