Mountain Queen

A powerful documentary about an extraordinary woman who would not take 'No' for an answer nor let familial and cultural norms stop her from doing what she feels called to do.

‍

I cried watching this. Not because Lhakpa overcame tremendous opposition over and over, but because her knowledge of herself is unwavering and her reverence to the mountain is so beautiful. It was her deep, abiding connection with nature, her trust that she would climb again, that got her through the toughest periods of her life.

‍

Netflix does an excellent job with this documentary, as usual. They managed to tell a story that centers one particular, exceptional woman but also make it about the climbing community in general, the cultural conditioning of the Sherpa community, and one rotten, sociopathic man.

‍

We learn about her challenges and achievements, we ogle at the footage of wind-swept mountain tops and people climbing in blizzards (thanks to Sherpa videographers), we’re inspired, and we take an emotional roller-coaster ride, but we walk away from this documentary in awe of the strength and determination of Lhakpa Sherpa.

‍

It seems like Lhakpa’s children didn’t even consider what an unusual and commanding person their mother is until Netflix came knocking. Thankfully, over the course of the film we see their attitude toward her change dramatically.

‍

I'm glad to have seen this story of resilience. Lhakpa Sherpa is an icon whose name deserves to be known across the world. She has pushed passed a tremendous amount of bullshit to set a world record, again and again, for number of times a woman has summited Mount Everest. 100% recommended.

‍