Thirty-year-old Purnima Shrestha never imagined how beautiful mountains would look up close until she witnessed them herself. Shrestha, who has climbed Manaslu, Everest, and Ama Dablam, is also among the first women to make it to the top of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.

If someone had told Shrestha in her childhood that she would take up mountaineering one day, she would probably have laughed. None of her family members was into mountaineering and she didn’t live in an area famous for producing mountaineers.

Shrestha grew up in the small town of Aarughat, Gorkha. But her dreams were big. “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to do something big in life,” she says.

At first, she was attracted to journalism as she liked watching news on television. “I always had a thing for the outdoors,” she says. “I wanted to do something that needed me to go outdoors and explore”. 

She discovered that she loved taking photos and telling stories with pictures. So when she learned, a decade ago, that there were only a handful of women photographers in Nepal, she decided to take the plunge. 

Her first tryst with mountaineering came when one of her friends who had visited the Everest Base Camp told her stories about the place and the routes. “Just looking at the pictures and listening to her describe it—I started daydreaming about going there one day,” Shrestha says. 

Her dream turned into a reality when she got an opportunity to go to the Everest Base Camp with other journalists and photographers in 2017.

Also read: Anish Tamang: Putting his body and soul into it

The artistry of white blankets of snow covering the rocky mountain fascinated her in a way nothing had before then. “Just being there and talking to other mountaineers and guides, I understood the significance of these mountains and felt grateful to be born in a country with such wonders,” she says with a sigh.

But Shrestha wasn’t content with making it to the base camp. She couldn’t stop thinking about climbing higher, and just the thought “gave me an adrenaline rush every time,” she shares. The time had come. Friends and family pitched in and she also got some sponsors on board. 

It was September 2017 and she decided to start with the mountain in her home district, Mt Manaslu. “Looking back, the success of making it to the top of Manaslu still makes me happy,” she shares. “I had no training, no experience, just a strong will to do this, and I did it.” 

Shrestha craved more adventure and decided to scale Everest this time. Again, she succeeded, in May 2018. 

The expedition changed her perspective towards life, as the fearless explorer inside her came out. But her mountaineering adventures were just beginning. 

In November 2019, she packed her bags to scale Ama Dablam (6,812m), one of the toughest mountains to climb. “I remember seeing Ama Dablam when I first went to Everest Base Camp,” she says. “There it stood, tall and mighty, with a beauty that follows you as you walk. I was instantly enchanted.”

Though she succeeded, it wasn’t easy. There were so many instances when she wanted to give up. Even though she had to battle death with every step she took, she now looks back at that adventure fondly. 

Also read: Souvenir’s Gallery Café: Of delectable cuisines and canvases

“The mountains called me again,” she says, when, in April of 2021, she decided to climb Annapurna, known for being one of the most challenging climbs in the world. No woman had ever made it to the summit until Shrestha overcame it in the company of six other women--Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, Dabuti Sherpa, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, Maya Sherpa, and Sharmila Sherpa. 

Most recently, in September 2021, Shrestha, along with her fellow mountaineer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, became the first woman to reach the top of Dhaulagiri. 

“People don't go to the mountains to die, they go to feel alive, and that's exactly what I wanted to do,” she says.“I also know that the greater the challenges of the climb, the better I will feel at the top.” 

As a photographer and mountaineer, she thinks her profession and passion align and propel her to success in every expedition. “On every mountain I’ve summited, the higher I went, the better the view got,” she says. “But no matter how many pictures I took, they could never capture the beauty of the moment that I felt after a tough climb”.

Shrestha wants to climb all mountains in Nepal above 8,000 meters. At one point, she also wants to complete the Great Himalayan Trail, from east to west. She is in constant training and in the process of building up finances for her future expeditions.

Climbing has given her immense confidence. “Just like I have learned to scale big mountains, I am now sure that with some effort I will be able to get over just about any problem in my life,” Shrestha says.