Junko Tabei – First Women on Everest

This post is also available in: German

Junko Tabei (1939 –2016) was a Japanese mountaineer. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and the first woman to ascend all Seven Summits by climbing the highest peak on every continent.

Tabei made only a few climbs during her high school years because the family did not have enough money.

She founded the first Ladies Climbing Club (LCC) during her studies in 1969. The club’s slogan was “Let’s go on an overseas expedition by ourselves”. Tabei later stated that she founded the club as a result of how she was treated by male mountaineers. After graduating from university, Tabei was a recognized climber in Japan.

Tabei’s LCC contained a team known as the Japanese Women’s Everest Expedition (JWEE) to attempt to summit Mount Everest. JWEE had 15 members, mostly working women, some mothers. This female team got considerable less funding than male teams. So the women made its own waterproof pouches, over-gloves and sleeping bags. Junko Tabei was the strongest women of the team and made it to the summit although she was hit by an avalanche shortly before.

After this achievement Junko Tabei got well-known. She used her fame to work on ecological concerns. And she led and participated in “clean-up” climbs in Japan and the Himalayas.

Tabei was married and had two children.

This painting is part of the set Legends of Mount Everest with more portraits of climbers. Click for an extensive description.