First female Everest climber dies at 77

Record ID: 83993

  • Title: First female Everest climber dies at 77
  • Date: 23rd October 2016
  • Summary: KATHMANDU, NEPAL (FILE - 2003) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** JUNKO TABEI, FIRST WOMAN TO CLIMB EVEREST, WALKING IN FOR CELEBRATIONS PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS SIR EDMUND HILLARY TALKING AND LAUGHING WITH TABEI, SHAKING HANDS CROWD GATHERED FOR THE CELEBRATIONS HILARY, WIFE AND TABEI WAVING TO CROWD KATHMANDU, NEPAL (FILE - OCTOBER 31, 2005) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TABEI SITTING ON STAGE PEOPLE SITTING LISTENING TO SPEECH VARIOUS OF TABEI ON STAGE DURING CEREMONY FOR "FIRST WOMAN'S SUMMIT ON MT. EVEREST" AUDIENCE SITTING TABEI SITTING ON STAGE WITH MEMBERS OF ROYAL FAMILY OF NEPA VARIOUS OF TABEI SITTING NEXT TO THE QUEEN AND PRESENTING HER A GIFT
  • Embargoed: 7th November 2016 06:18
  • Keywords: Nepal Japanese woman first Mount Everest climber
  • Location: KATHMANDU, NEPAL
  • City: KATHMANDU, NEPAL
  • Country: Nepal
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015585R2D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The world's first woman to climb Mount Everest, Japanese mountain climber Junko Tabei, passed away at age 77 in Saitama, Japan, according to local media.
    Tabei was born in Miharu Town, Fukushima prefecture, in 1939. Her first exposure to mountain climbing was in the fourth grade, when her teacher took her to the summit of Mt. Nasu in Tochigi prefecture, her official website said.
    She began taking mountain climbing seriously when she entered a mountain climbing group after graduating from Showa Women's University in 1962.
    In 1969, Tabei established an all-women's mountain climbing group, and in 1975, she became the first woman to conquer Mount Everest. By 1992, she conquered the Seven Summits - Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson, Carstensz, and Kosciuszko - becoming the first woman to do so.
    In recent years, Tabei called on the preservation of mountains and its environment through an NGO called HAT-J. She has also written extensively about her love of mountain climbing and the culture surrounding climbing.
    Tabei was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, and although she went under treatment, she passed away on the 20th around 10 am at a hospital in Saitama prefecture, according to local media.
    The last mountain she climbed was Mount Fuji this July with high school students from Northeastern Japan, a region that is still recovering from a March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, local media said.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register