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Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, the Netflix documentary on the Nepalese mountain climber Lhakpa Sherpa, is set to be released on the platform on July 31, 2024. Directed by Lucy Walker, it had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023.
The official synopsis of Mountain Queen reads:
“In this documentary, a Nepali mountaineer risks everything on a record-breaking Mount Everest climb to secure a brighter future for her daughters.”
This Netflix documentary follows the life of the mountain climber as she battles several adversities to become not just the first Nepalese woman to climb Mount Everest and return safely, but also the first and only woman so far to achieve the feat a total of ten times.
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Lhakpa Sherpa, the subject of Mountain Queen, has had a difficult life
The Sherpas are a Tibetan ethnic group who live in the most mountainous regions of Nepal and Tibet. Lhakpa Sherpa was born in a cave in the region, and as per a Tudum report published on July 17, 2024, the young Lhakpa “was denied an education and work because of her gender.”
The Telegraph reported on May 15, 2016, that Lhakpa was named after the day she was born on; her name means Wednesday in Nepali. Further, it also stated that growing up with 11 brothers and sisters, Lhakpa took up work at the kitchen for a mountaineering company at an early age.
However, the mountains kept beckoning to the subject of Mountain Queen. In a report dated May 12, 2022, the BBC obtained the following statement from her:
"I grew up right next to Everest. I could see it from my home. Everest continues to inspire and excite me."
Lhakpa’s dream of reaching the top of Mount Everest came true in 2000. Prior to Lhakpa, in 1993, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa had become the first Nepalese woman to climb the summit. However, Pasang Lhamu unfortunately lost her life while climbing down. Lhakpa Sherpa, in 2000, became the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit and then make it back safely.
Mountain Queen shows how Lhakpa overcame an abusive marriage
Soon after the first climb, Lhakpa married Romanian climber George Dijmarescu in 2002, and together they moved to the USA, where she worked at a 7-Eleven in suburban Connecticut, as reported by The Telegraph.
However, her husband’s abusive nature was soon revealed. It is reported that Dijmarescu would often physically assault her. The relationship allegedly became unsustainable around 2012, with a divorce resulting in 2015, as per BBC.
In Mountain Queen, Lhakpa Sherpa says the following about her husband:
“He turn look like bad weather, look like thunder, look like bullet.”
As per Tudum, Dijmarescu died of cancer in 2020.
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Mountain Queen is the story of perseverance through hardships
Lhakpa’s 10th climb of Mount Everest happened in 2022, and for this she had to collect funds through crowdfunding. The following list shows the years in which she has undertaken her climbs:
- 2000
- 2001
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2022
Climbing the world’s tallest mountain is no easy task. As per the BBC, more than 300 people have perished in their attempts to scale Mount Everest. About the challenge of bad weather during the climbs, Lhakpa told the BBC that she would start her journeys with a prayer and she would “just wait” when the weather got bad since nobody can “wrestle a mountain.”
Mountain Queen is a documentary about a climber who refuses to give up. Lhakpa has braved numerous difficulties, many of which are personal, to do what she loves doing—climbing mountains. She has become a role model for women who dream big.
Just before her 10th climb, she told the BBC:
"I've had a challenging life. Mountains made me happy and relaxed. I will never give up. I want young women not to give up."
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa will be released on Netflix on July 31, 2024.
