Saturday 31 July 2010 - 03.04
Forte di Bard Award for ethics and solidarity:
Doma Sherpa
This award goes to Doma Sherpa, alpinist and organiser of treks and exhibitions, for her life’s work dedicated to the mountains and for her commitment to her fellow countrymen and their shared culture. Her actions have been an example to everybody, not just as an alpinist: she was the first Nepalese women to climb Everest from both the South and North faces; but also for her vision of modernity whilst maintaining strong roots in the mountains and the environmental values that are an intrinsic part of the Sherpa culture.
Pemba Doma Sherpa
“Whilst looking at the Chomolongma I began to desire to climb the high mountains”
Pemba Doma was born in Namche Bazar in what can only be described as the village-capital of Solokhumbu, the magnificent Nepalese valley surrounding some of the World’s most fantastic mountains. This Garden of Eden of the high peaks is home to the mother of all peaks Everest and also Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori and Ama Dablam to name the most famous. Pemba Doma has managed to combine her love of alpinism with her native culture creating a unique and modern interpretation. As well as her various ascents of European peaks Pemba Doma was the first Nepalese women to climb Everest’s North face and was the second (as well as being the 6th woman in the world) to climb from both sides. In 2002 she led the all Nepalese women’s expedition on Everest; in 2005 she was the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit of the Cho Oyu at 8021m and with the ascent of the Lhotse became the first Nepalese woman to have climbed 3 eight thousand metre summits.
Pemba Doma won the “Suprabal Prashiddha Gorkha Dakshin”, the most important award in Nepal for alpinism and was renowned for her work towards helping her fellow countrymen and conserving their culture. In 2000 she founded the association “Save the Himalayan Kingdom”. This no-profit association aims to improve the living conditions of the Himalayan people, in particular the country’s youth and the Sherpa culture and also includes the restoration of Buddhist monasteries.
In the spring of 2007, following her ascent of the summit of Lhotse, Pemba died in a banal accident.
Mauel Lugli’s words sum up the depth of this simple but great woman’s personality:
“When I met Pemba Doma, the only Nepalese woman to have climbed Everest’s North face, I found her rather difficult to get on with. Firstly she was very shy, typical of a Sherpa, and was very modest about her achievements. But, slowly as we talked I discovered an extremely determined woman. She was bought up in a family who, apart from her brother Nima Nuru who runs the Cho Oyu Treking, disapproved of her love of alpinism. As was normal in her culture she married a man chosen by her parents and had a child. But she still didn’t lose her love of climbing and was still dreaming about alpinistic feats. She told me many interesting things about her country’s mountains, Everest obviously and more. “You see Everest is the Earth’s Mother God. It is so large, sometimes so patient and sometimes so severe. Climbing the mountain you discover her soul, because all mountains have a soul that give you something, good or bad. Consider Ama Dablam, my home mountain in full view from Namche Bazaar, the mountain my grandfather and I used to walk to. This mountain transmits me peace, serenity and faith. To the contrary Annapurna scares me, it’s threatening and seems to warn all the men who approach her.” A Sherpa’s warning.
Pemba left us in the spring of 2007 right in the sight of Sagarmatha, the Earth’s Mother God, after climbing the Lhotse.
Manuel Lugli from the “Alpinisti Sottoaceto” – Montura Editing.
