US EditionShe escaped an avalanche and became the first woman to summit Everest. Today, few remember her name
- On May 16, 1975, Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest during an all-women Japanese expedition in Nepal.
- Tabei's team survived a severe avalanche days earlier that buried several members and caused her serious injuries, yet she persisted despite opposition from male mountaineers.
- The expedition was the culmination of years of female pioneering in mountaineering amid a male-dominated culture that marginalized women's achievements and expected Japanese women to prioritize domestic roles.
- By 2024, women accounted for 13% of Everest summiteers and mountaineering has shifted from elite exploration to a commercialized sport, although female representation and recognition remain low.
- Tabei's legacy includes advancing women's empowerment, environmental activism, and fostering greater visibility, but her historic achievement is still insufficiently celebrated globally.
29 Articles
29 Articles
50 years ago, the first woman stood on the summit of Mount Everest. What stage are climbers at today?
The Japanese woman and mother had defied all adversities exactly 50 years ago and as the first woman had reached the summit of the highest mountain
Passionate of climbing since his adolescence, in 1969 he founded a mountaineering club for women only. In 1991 he entered the narrow Olympic of the climbers who climbed the seven highest peaks of the six continents, the Seven Summits (ANSA)
History Today: How Japan’s Tabei Junko became first woman to conquer Mount Everest
On May 16, 1975, Junko Tabei from Japan became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. News of her achievement spread across Asia, leading to celebrations in Japan, Nepal, and India. Also on this day in 1929, the first-ever Oscar ceremony was held with around 250 guests at the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California
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