Sangita Rokaya

Address: Dhuli (Last village of Southern Saipal), Bajhang district

Date of Birth: 20, June 1997 (21 yrs)

Education: Higher Secondary Level (attempted final exams)

Hobbies and passions: Mountaineering, trekking in higher altitude, social service etc.

Purpose of life: Want to be a change agent and be an icon for the discriminated women of her community and district.

Experience:

• Mt. Saipal Base Camp (4100 meters) with Mission Saipal team.
• Has trekked to different places of higher altitude of more than 5,000 mtrs like Namul, Challeban, Majaban and and Curekhola, among others to collect yarshagumba, one of the most sought herbs in Nepal that requires greater vigour adventure.

Ms Rokaya, who hails from the last village of Bajhang district, believes that her society is filled with superstition and women's status is very inferior and has not been able to develop themselves.

She, the eldest children to her parents, has three younger brothers and three younger sisters, making a total of seven children. Despite having many children, her parents have been really very supportive to her and encourage her to accept the challenges of climbing Mt. Saipal.

Ms Rokaya who knows the mountain very well due to the geographical proximity, wants to prove to her community people that women are in no way less than men and can achieve toughest of the feats with her ascend to Mt Saipal. After her return from the peak, she wants to continue with her education and conduct social works for the welfare of her society and help for the promotion of women of her locality in any ways she can.

She wants to be an instrumental in raising the curtain of new era in her community and be an agent of social change, such a change where and when people's perspective towards women will turn upside down; thereby women would be regarded as a compliment to the men but not someone inferior.

Laxmi Budha

Address: Kanda, Bajhang district

Date of Birth: May 24, 1991 (26 yrs)

Education: School Leaving Certificate (SLC)

Hobbies and passions: Experiencing mountains, social service

Purpose of Life
• To be an agent of social change.
• To stay atop on the Mt Everest.

Experience
• A former People's Liberation Army (PLA) who sacrificed more than a decade of her late childhood struggling against the state for the rights of her countrymen.
• Mt. Saipal Base Camp (4100 meters) with Mission Saipal team.
• Trekked to base camp of Mt. Kanjirawa that is located in Jumla district.
• Has experience of trekking many higher altitude places like Puga (Kalikot district), Badimalika (Bajura district), among others.
• Has trekked to different places of higher altitude of more than 5,000 mtrs like Paralkhet, Aulagadh (South Base Camp of Mt Saipal), Raidhunge (East South Base Camp of Mt. Saipal) among others to collect yarshagumba.

Ms Budha is a married lady and a mother to a four years old daughter who has recently been enrolled to a nearby boarding school in a play group. Her husband runs a grocery for livelihood, while Ms Budha wants to tell the world that her community (Saipal Rural Municipality) is a piece of the world, yet ignored by the state. Enriched with many medicinal herbs like yarshaguma, she feels sorry that her community people have been suffering in the absence of medical service in her area and people end up losing their lives even for very common diseases.

Her major motto to climb Mt Saipal is to introduce Mt Saipal to the nation and the entire world, for she holds a strong conviction that the promotion of the mountain is the easiest way to change the fate of her community and the district. She also wants to debunk the myth that women should not climb the mountain. Ms Budha is very convinced that her successful ascent to the summit would give raise to the degraded situation of the women of her locality.

She also believes that her successful climb would be in itself a big slap on the face of orthodox people who have victimized local women for many generations in the name of religion and culture. In the mean time, her husband has been strongly behind her in her mission. She also aims to continue her journey to the peaks of many other mountains to finally reach the top of Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak.

Pabitra Bohara

Address: Katai, Bajhang district

Date of Birth: April 16, 1998 (20 yrs)

Education: Bachelor's Level (BBS Second Year)

Hobbies and passions: Climbing mountains, study etc

Purpose of Life
• Making a name and fame as a mountaineer.

Experience
• Mt. Saipal Base Camp (4100 meters) with Mission Saipal team.
• Every year, since she was seven years old treks to different places (5,000 + meters) to collect yarsha gumba.

Ms Bohora lives with her mother, one younger sister and three younger brothers while her father passed away when she was only 13 years old. Since the death her father, she including her family has experienced many ups and downs especially those relating to economy. In a remote far western district, a family with head of it (father) is considered an unfulfilled family and is ignored from the society.

Children from such family lacks the guide to their lives and are left ignored eventually. Moreover, they are deprived of many of the opportunities that the children of other family having a male leader might enjoy. She has been very vital in keeping her family sustained economically as she travels to higher altitude to collect yarsha gumba on yearly basis and has been acting as a head of her family. Even in such a situation of crisis, she has been able to continue with her studies and now have been preparing herself for her life's hardest journey which even those from family with good social and economic standing could not dare.

A girl with good leadership skills, she has made through all odds of her life and now has dreamt to become a sturdy mountaineer, as she is very much acquainted with real life problems, hurdles and challenges and has never learnt to give up.

After her return from the top of the mountain, as a senior sister, she wants to be the light of the way for her siblings and wants them to not undergo the ill-fate that she went through. She also wants to prove to the society that a girl from a family who has lost her father can do any and everything if she shows her commitment for. Continuing with her climbing journey, she wants to scale up Mt Everest if her economic situation allows her and also wants to excel more in her education.

Saraswoti Thapa

Address: Sunikot, Bajhang district

Date of Birth: Nov 20, 1999 (19 yrs)

Education: Higher Secondary Level (+2)

Hobbies and passions: Climbing mountains, English language and networking with international climbers, travelling.

Purpose of Life
• To be an agent of social change.
• To be a Mountaineer guide

Experience
• Mt. Saipal Base Camp (4100 meters) with Mission Saipal team.
• Every year, since she was seven years old treks to different places (5,000 + meters) to collect yarsha gumba.

Ms Thapa belongs to a poor family and her parents work in fields round the year, yet could not produce enough even to feed the family members for even six months. The parents have a serious accusation against her. They say, "Our daughter is like a monkey; she could not resist to climb the steep hills and trees. We are afraid if she is dead one day due to her climbing habit." The accusation from her parents itself is a testimony to the mountaineering and adventuring skills of Ms Thapa.

Her parents do not have son but only four daughters. But in Nepali society, couples who could not produce son are mistreated and humiliated. While her only senior sister was married off at the age of 16, one of her younger sisters eloped at the same age. Thapa's parents live with two of her daughters now and the only ray of hope for them is Saraswati, whom they expect to take care of them in their old age and do not even allow the thought of her death. So much was the case that her father was force to marry another lady just to produce a son.

Saraswati is very touched by the social humiliation her parents have suffered for not having a son and her desire to climb Mt Saipal is result of the same. By climbing the mountain, she wants to prove her community people wrong that there is no difference between son and a daughter and daughter can equally achieve everything what son can.

The moment she gets back from the mountain, she wants to see a glow of pride on her parents' face. Her mission also aims to familiarize the courage of far-western girls by summiting the mountain and dreams to climb Mt Everest in the future to tell the world that girls from Nepal's remote village are in no way inferior to anyone, within or beyond Nepal.

Dr. Jorge Egocheaga

Jorge Egocheaga, born 1968 in Oviedo, Asturias, became a Doctor. He is a pediatrician and traumatologist. In the mornings he works in the Hospital of Oviedo in the operating theatre and in the afternoons he works in his personal Sports Clinic trying to help athletes with his never ending injuries. When they arrive in Jorge’s Clinic, they get well. People don’t know what he does, but injuries that had been there for years and no other Doctor could cure, Jorge does.

He works 12 hours a day saving money for his expeditions and social work. He also has sponsors who help him with this. He lost 2 wives in the mountain. He suffers a lot from this but he never tells.

His passion is mountain and climbing and he likes practicing them in his free time. He became the 30st person to summit all 14 eight thousands in the world. He only did this to give the title to her dead wife who was trying to conquer during live. He did this as a honor to her.

His merit is the speed of his personal climbing. He has bit several world records as in Annapurna (Argentina) and many many others. He is characterized for the speed of his climbing, which many other professional climbers admire.

He would love to help women in the Himalayas to recover their dignity and power.

Profesional:
• Medical doctor
• Pediatrics specialist
• Sport Medicine Specialist
• Osteophatic specialist

Alpinist:
• 7 summits between 2002 – 2008
• 14 x 8000 summits between 2002 – 2014
• 6 x 7000 summits (Nepal, Pakistan, India, China)
• 16 x 6000 summits (Nepal, Pakistán, India, China, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Perú, Alaska)

Edurne Pasaban Lizarribar

Edurne Pasaban Lizarribar (born August 1, 1973) is a Spanish mountaineer, from Tolosa, in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, Spain. On May 17, 2010, she became the 21st person and the first woman to climb all of the fourteen eight-thousander peaks in the World.[1] Her first 8,000 peak had been achieved 9 years earlier, on May 23, 2001, when she climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.

Eight-thousanders climbed
• 2010, May 17 - Shishapangma
• 2010, April 17 - Annapurna
• 2009, May 18 - Kangchenjunga
• 2008, October 5 - Manaslu
• 2008, May 1 - Dhaulagiri
• 2007, July 12 - Broad Peak
• 2005, July 20 - Nanga Parbat
• 2004, July 26 - K2
• 2003, July 26 - Gasherbrum I
• 2003, July 19 - Gasherbrum II
• 2003, May 26 - Lhotse
• 2002, October 5 - Cho Oyu
• 2002, May 16 - Makalu
• 2001, May 23 - Mount Everest

Dr. Jef Houben

• 2002: Nepal: trekking high passes (Kongma La, Cho La, Renjo La) +Everest basecamp
• 2003: Pakistan: trekking Baltoro glacier, K2 basecamp, Gondogoro La, Charakusa valley
• 2006: Tibet: trekking Kharta valley (Everest Kangchung face), climb Lakpa Ri (7040m)
• 2007: Pakistan: trekking Shimshal, climb Walyoo Sar (6000m), Braldu glacier, Lukpe La, Snow Lake, crossing Khurdopin La, back to Shimshal
• 2008: China: summit Muztagh Ata (7546m)
• 2010: Pakistan: Spantik (7060m): till 6900m
• 2011: Nepal: Himlung Australian shortcut route (7126m): till 6000m
• 2012: Nepal: Himlung normal route (7126m): till 6900m
• 2013: Nepal: Makalu basecamp
• 2014: Nepal: Putha Hiunchuli (7246m): till 7000m
• 2015: Nepal: trek around Dhaulagiri + climb Dhampus Peak (6012m): till 5800m +climb Tilicho Peak (7134m): till 5800m+ Thorong La
• 2016: Nepal: trek south and north basecamp Kangchenjunga
• 2017: Pakistan: trekking Askole, Panmah glacier, Chiring glacier, West Muztagh Pass, Sarpo Lago glacier, Moni La, Younghusband glacier, Biange glacier, Baltoro glacier, back to Askole

Odina Grosso

• NEPAL 1998 CAMPO BASE EVEREST ILIAN PECH MOUNTAIN
• NEPAL 1999 BASE CAMPAIGN ANAPURNA
• TIBET 2000 PILGRIMAGE KORA KAJLASC
• PAKISTAN 2003 K2 C. BASE STEP GONRONGORO
• TANZANIA 2004 KILYMANGIARO VETTA 5896
• NEPAL 2006 KAGJANZONCA CAMPO BASE
• PAKISTAN 2007 TREKKING: SHIMSHAL-SALITA WALYOO SAR (6000 m) - BRALDU-LUKPE LA-SNOW LAKE-SHIMSHAL GLACIER
• PAKISTAN 2007 ISPAR LAKE OF SNOW STEP
• CHINA 2008 MUSTAGH ATA CIASPOLE 7080 MT
• MONTE ROSA 2010 POLLUCE 4091
• MONTE ROSA 2010 CAPANNA GIOVANNI GNIFETTI 4634
• MONTE ROSA 2011 BREITHORN 4165
• MONTE ROSA 2011 CORNO NERO 4322
• MONTE ROSA 2011 CASTORE 4228
• INDIA 2012 GAUMUK-GANGOTRI GLACIER-TOPOVAN 4463-BASE SHIVILING FIELD
• NEPAL 2015 TREKKING DHAULAGIRI-PICCO TILICHO (7134 mt: up to 5800 mt) -THORONG LA
• PAKISTAN 2017 TREKKING: ASKOLE-PANMAH GLACIER-GLACIER CHIRING-STEP MUZTAGH WESTERN-GLACIER SARPO

Elías de Andrés Martos

• Member of American Mountain Guides Association
• 10 years as professional guide for Alpinism, Ice and Rock climbing.
• 83 summits of Mt. Rainier, USA, mainly as guide via 8 routes, including Liberty Ridge and winter climbs
• Pacific North West of The USA: countless ascents as a guide on Mt. Baker, Forbidden, Sahale, Shuksan, Liberty Bell, Cutthroat, Concord, Lexington, Olympus
• Himalaya: summits on Shishapangma Central, Ama Dablam, and Kyajo Ri. 1 Expedition to Dhaulagiri, no summit.
• Alaska Range: multiple expeditions both personal and as guide, with 3 summits of Denali, 4 summits of the Moose's Tooth with 100% client success. Alpine climbs in the areas of Ruth, Pika and Tokositna Glaciers
• Cordillera Blanca, Peru: 5 summits of Alpamayo, 100% client success. Summits on Tocllaraju, Urus, Ishinca, Copa and Artesonraju
• Argentina: Aconcagua up and over, unsupported. Plata and Rincon Peaks
• Colorado Rocky Mountains: all 54 peaks above 14,000 feet. Also, a total of 100+ summits above 4,000 meters
• European Alps and Pyrenees; several climbs
• Countless alpine and ice climbs up to WI6 in Colorado, Alaska, New Hampshire and Canada
• Patagonian Ice Fields Traverse between Chile and Argentina, unsupported
• Worldwide trekking: Everest Region, Machu Picchu, Annapurna Sanctuary, Magdy Khola Himal, Gokyo, Guatemalan Jungle, Patagonia, Alaskan Tundra and Rocky Mountains

Bridget Schletty

• Pacific North West United States 5 summits of Mt. Rainier. 2 summits of Shuksan
• Himalaya: Shishapangma Central without oxygen. Kyajo Ri. 1 Expedition to Dhaulagiri.
• Alaska Range: alpine climbs in the Pika Glaciers.
• Cordillera Blanca, Peru: Summits on Tocllaraju, Urus, Ishinca
• Argentina: Aconcagua, Plata and Rincon
• Colorado Rocky Mountains: all 54 peaks above 14,000 feet.
• European Alps and Pyrenees; several climbs
• Countless alpine and ice climbs up in Colorado, and New Hampshire
• Patagonian Ice Fields Traverse between Chile and Argentina, unsupported

Hannah Smith

Education
• University of Iowa
  • B.A. Political Science
  • B.A. Sociology

Certifications
• Emergency Medical Technician, 2014-current
• AIARE level 2, American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education
• AMGA Alpine Skills Course, American Mountain Guide Association

Employment History
• Rainier Mountaineering Inc, May 2015-present
• Sierra Mountaineering International, March 2017-present

Climbing Stats
• 3 expeditions to Aconcagua
• January 2017-summit
• December 2017-summit
• January 2018-summit