Who is Phunjo Lama?
A Himalayan childhood
Phunjo Lama is a Nepalese woman in her thirties. She comes from a remote village perched at 3500m in the Himalayas. Raised by her grandfather, Phunjo spent her early years transporting salt to Tibet with a herd of yaks, often walking long distances and carrying heavy loads herself. She had little schooling, as school was almost non-existent in her village and the family’s income also depended on her contribution. At the age of 13, her older brother, who had moved to Kathmandu, invited her to join him in the capital. With 45 kg of provisions on her back, Phunjo set off on a two-week journey on foot, expecting Kathmandu to be little more than a large village. She imagined becoming a Buddhist nun, as opportunities for women were limited.
A first profession
But Kathmandu opened up new opportunities for Phunjo. Her brother enrolled her in school and the transition was difficult. Given her level of schooling, Phunjo was placed in a class with much younger children; Phunjo didn’t speak Nepali - in her village they speak Tibetan - and she describes these years as arduous. However, she managed to learn the language, and by 2013 her linguistic skills proved invaluable. A woman from her village, not knowing how to call for help, asks her for help for her pregnant sister; she is in labor, her life and that of the baby are in danger, and their survival depends on evacuation by helicopter. There are no doctors in this village lost in the heart of the hilamaya, and women still sometimes die in childbirth. Phunjo herself lost her mother in such circumstances when she was just two years old. Thanks to her Nepalese, Phunjo managed to coordinate the rescue, and both mother and child survived. This experience opened an unexpected door; through the helicopter pilot, Phunjo discovered the possibility of becoming a mountain rescuer. She attended three training courses in Nepal, and was sponsored to complete her training in Europe. As a result, she became the first Nepalese woman to become a long-line helicopter rescuer.
Phunjo becomes a mountain guide
Phunjo describes herself as deeply committed to her career as a rescuer at the time, but very uncomfortable - being steeped in Buddhist culture - with the fact that her income depended on often very serious mountain accidents. During this period, thanks to her colleagues, she discovered mountaineering and excelled in both technical ascents and high-altitude expeditions. Like many Nepalese mountaineers, she saw it as a way of earning a living and paying for her daughter’s schooling. She borrowed money from a family friend and took the necessary courses to become an accredited mountain guide in Nepal, a profession she pursues today. She would now like to obtain international accreditation, which would open up other opportunities, but the training is expensive and she has not yet been able to finance it.
How I met Phunjo and the genesis of the project
Phunjo is one of only two or three female mountain guides in Nepal, and that’s how I met her. Last November, I joined an all-female expedition in the Khumbu and Everest region, organized by my friend Sunny and guided by Phunjo (and Jeannette McGills, another very inspiring woman). Phunjo and I hit it off immediately. Her smile is mischievous, her joie de vivre contagious and her strength reassuring in the mountains. We share the same passion and religion. I’d heard of her - she holds the speed record for climbing Everest, a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed in the small world of mountaineering - but I soon realized that I didn’t know much about who she really was, and that I’d have known a lot more if she’d been Western. Because her record is truly extraordinary and her personal story just as much so; if she were European or American, sponsors would be snapping her up and she’d be all over the internet. That’s what I thought when I befriended this woman full of energy, talent, humanity and the desire to share. For me, Phunjo is a true pioneer, an inspiration to women and men alike (just ask my partner Jojo about her, his eyes shine with admiration).
We went to Everest base camp together, and she told me about her ascent last May to the world’s highest peak (the interview will be published soon on this blog). Hearing the details of this feat in the very environment in which it took place gives it a whole new dimension. In the age of social networking, one might think that climbing Everest is a matter of money and willpower. We don’t know what logistics, training, preparation, strategy, sacrifices and technical skills it requires. Nor the extreme discomfort of daily exposure to cold, sleep deprivation and altitude in the month leading up to the climb, which she spent at base camp preparing for. Nor can you imagine what it’s like to traverse the famous Icefall; you may have heard it was hard, but you don’t see the walls of ice to climb, the crevasses to step over, and the slope that never seems to end. To reach the summit in 14:31 like Phunjo did is truly extraordinary. The rare climbers who manage it take between 4 and 5 days. Phunjo’s physical and mental strength is rare, unique perhaps.
Yet there is little written or video coverage of his feat. There are a few newspaper reports - Le Monde gives him a short article and I found one or two short videos on You Tube. Apart from a few climbers, most people don’t know who Phunjo is. They don’t know that she holds the record for both the ascent and descent for men and women, and that she beat the previous women’s record by almost 10 hours. Phunjo isn’t very visible, certainly because she doesn’t have access to the same opportunities as Western athletes and doesn’t have the network. And yet she deserves it, on her own behalf and on behalf of all the other “invisibles” she represents.
As you can see, I want to help. And in a way I’m privileged to be in a position where I can: I’m European, I speak several languages, I use communication tools, I know “the world”. When Phunjo suggested that we set up a project together, I immediately said “Oh heck, yes”. And that’s how the K2 Global Project and its little brother, the Ama Dablam Dream 2026, came about.
K2 Global Project
The wild mountain
At 8,611m, K2 is the world’s second-highest mountain after Everest. It is widely considered to be one of the most difficult climbs in the world. Situated between Pakistan and China, its weather is unpredictable and its ascent long and steep. No woman has yet attempted a speed record from base camp to the summit, and the boys are late to the game: it was only last summer that Frenchman Benjamin Védrines succeeded (after failing last year) in 11 hours.
Self-belief
Phunjo has no doubts about his ability to complete this climb and set a record if the conditions are right. I admire this confidence, in which there is no arrogance. Phunjo believes in his possibilities, and I’m inspired by that. It’s a huge project for me too. At the end of 2024, I find myself propelled into the role of professional mountaineering agent, a job I don’t know much about and which I’m learning day by day. The task is immense: finding funds, sponsors, partnerships, contacting the press, planning logistics, planning the trip and the climb, and so much more.
It’s all our project
I don’t know where to begin, so I start here and there, where ideas and opportunities take me. This blog post is one of them, a way of putting the project into words and opening it up to your help, suggestions and participation. Phunjo has insisted on making visible all the people involved in the project, whether directly or indirectly: the climbers who will assist him during the ascent, the porters and sherpas, the cooks and camp helpers, the sponsors and donors, the logisticians and all the little hands behind the scenes. This is the “global” of the K2 Global Project. This project belongs to all of us, and I’m appealing to you for your ideas, your contacts, your know-how and your financial support. Because even if we’re not the ones who are going to climb this mountain, we will carry Phunjo as high as possible, and that will be the success of us all.
I therefore invite you to join the K2 Global Project in any capacity: communications, graphics, press officer, funder, sponsor, equipment supplier, etc… And to start crowdfunding, because every euro counts. I’ve created a page on my website for this purpose. You’ll find details of the expedition and its preparation as the project progresses, as well as the link to crowdfunding, all to be shared without moderation.
Financing
I know that asking for money is always the trickiest part, and I’m not necessarily culturally comfortable with it. But it’s a way to make this dream come true, nothing else. We’ve estimated the total cost of this project ($60,000, you’ll find the details on the K2 Global Project page), the sum is very large (but “normal” for an expedition at very high altitude, the costs are similar for Everest); and we have no contribution. This is also the reality of Phunjo’s life: unlike wealthy or sponsored Western mountaineers, she has no money of her own to finance this expedition. Here again, I’d like to ask for your help if you have any experience of financing methods, contacts with sponsors or anything else.
Welcome to the K2 Global Project, dream big, aim high!