Malta’s Wonder Woman Lhakpa Sherpa featured in New York Times article

“The Queen of Everest Trains While Working at Whole Foods” by Bhadra Sharma and Adam Skolnick was featured in the New York Times on January 31, 2023. The piece focuses on Malta Wonder Woman Class of 2019, Lhakpa Sherpa who has climbed Mount Everest 10 times, the most ascents ever by a woman. 

“Unlike the routines of most climbers, who drop into specialized training for months or even years, Lhakpa’s training regimen took place at a Whole Foods in West Hartford, Conn., where she carried large stacks of boxed fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, she hiked to the top of the 6,288-foot Mount Washington, a meager stand-in for the highest mountain on earth.”

“In 2022, she quit her supermarket job to try her 10th summit, a hallowed number in Everest mountaineering akin to 500 home runs or 3,000 hits in baseball. Thirty-four men had achieved it. Twenty-six of them were Nepali of Sherpa descent, including Babu Chhiri, and Lhakpa wanted to shatter one more Himalayan glass ceiling.”

To learn more about this woman’s incredible story of triumph:


Malta House of Care is currently seeking nominations for our next class of Wonder Women. We will celebrate the Class of 2023 on May 3, 2023 at The Bushnell. Learn more about submitting a nomination of an extraordinary woman in your life or to learn about being a sponsor for the event please visit our event page.

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