Sherpa, about 45 years old, was born in the Balakharka, Nepal, one of 11 children. She isn’t sure of her exact age; she was born at home and received no birth certificate, reports Rock and Ice. Her childhood home had no electricity. Since she was a girl, she wasn’t allowed to attend school. Climbing Mount Everest is a bit of a family business; one of her brothers runs an expedition company, another has climbed Everest “10 or 11 times,” and her sister became the youngest person to ever reach the summit of Everest in 2003 at the age of 15 during a Sherpa family climb, per Everest News. Sherpa explained to the Guardian that her family does the dangerous job of leading people on Everest climbs “[b]ecause the alternative is to make money growing potatoes.” 

Sherpa can’t afford to train full time because she works so many hours. Unlike most elite athletes, she has neither trainers nor nutritionists, and uses older gear, including an oxygen mask that’s 50 years old. She was once married to a fellow climber whom she met on Everest, but their relationship turned violent; he notoriously hit her in front of other people while they were on Mount Everest in 2004. They eventually divorced. The Guardian notes that Sherpa “undoubtedly lost good climbing years to adversity, and yet her commitment to climbing persists.” Sherpa calls climbing “my way out of washing dishes” as well as “the way to make a better life for the girls.”