BeWild: Alpine Rising - Bernadette McDonald

 The Mountaineers BeWild Speaker Series puts passion and adventure on center stage! Join us at BeWild with Bernadette McDonald on March 14 to unlock inspiration, seek adventure, connect with nature, and work to protect the wild places we cherish. Bernadette is the award-winning author of mountaineering literature including Winter 8000, Freedom Climbers, and Brotherhood of the Rope. Her latest book Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges is a long overdue account of the extraordinary local climbers in the Himalaya and Karakoram. 

Bernadette will be joined in conversation by Dawa Yangzum Sherpa and Lakpa Rita Sherpa, as well as Melissa Arnot Reid (co-founder of The Juniper Fund and the first American woman to summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen). Copies of Alpine Rising will be available for purchase, and a book signing with Bernadette and meet & greet with the other speakers will follow the talk. 

Event Details

• Doors at 6:00 pm
• Presentation from Bernadette McDonald: 7:00 pm
• Panel discussion with Bernadette McDonald, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, and Lakpa Rita Sherpa, moderated by Melissa Arnot Reid: 7:25 pm
• Q&A at 7:45 pm
• Book Signing and Meet & Greet: 8:00 pm

ABOUT THE BOOK

The name of Maurice Herzog, the first man to reach the summit of Annapurna, is widely recognized, but how many know Ang Tharkay, the Sherpa who carried the seriously frostbitten Herzog on his back for miles? Although rarely mentioned in published accounts of early expeditions, local climbers have long been significant members of first ascents on the world’s tallest and most challenging peaks. In Alpine Rising, award-winning writer Bernadette McDonald sets the record straight by shining a light on these too often forgotten heroes. Now, in the 21st century, it is often local climbers who are setting records. A Nepali team was the first to climb K2 in winter; they reached the summit while singing their national anthem. Pakistani climbers like Little Karim and Ali Sadpara devoted their lives to helping others survive and succeed on and off the mountains and their stories deserve to be celebrated. Written with unprecedented access to climbers and their families, and assisted by researchers on-the-ground in Pakistan and Nepal, Alpine Rising will forever change the way readers see the history and legacy of mountaineering in the Greater Ranges. A portion of book sales benefit the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal and Ascend in Pakistan, two NGOs working to provide skills and leadership training to local climbers. 

ABOUT THE Speakers

BERNADETTE MCDONALD  was the founding Vice President of Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre and director of the Banff Mountain Festivals for 20 years, and few people have the relationships that McDonald does with the world’s most accomplished alpinists. The author of more than a dozen books about mountaineering and mountain culture, she regularly lectures on a variety of topics for universities, festivals, and alpine clubs. McDonald lives in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

MELISSA ARNOT REID  is a mountain guide, athlete, and professional speaker. The first American woman to successfully summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, Arnot Reid has climbed the world’s highest peak six times. In 2012 she co-founded The Juniper Fund to provide financial support to families of local workers killed in the mountains of Nepal, and she continues to be actively involved with the fund. She lives in the Methow Valley with her husband, Tyler, and their two kids.

DAWA YANGZUM SHERPA first summited Mount Everest at age 21, then went on to become the first Asian woman, and one of just over 100 women worldwide, to earn International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) certification. Dawa was part of the first all-female team from Nepal to reach the summit of K2, and made a first ascent on Mount Langdung in her home Rolwaling Valley of Nepal. She’s also climbed Ama Dablam, Yala Peak, Island Peak, Cho-Oyu from the Tibet side, and attempted the 28,169-foot Kangchenjunga. She has worked as an instructor at the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal and guided on Mount Rainier and Mount Baker. Dawa now splits her time between the United States and Nepal.

LAKPA RITA SHERPA is one the most well known and respected mountain guides in the world. Born and raised in the small village of Thame, Lakpa followed the footsteps of his father and began his first mountaineering expedition at the age of 18 in 1984. From what began as a job, Lakpa soon realized mountaineering was his true passion. On October 7th of 1990, Lakpa made his first summit to Mt. Everest and since then, he has made over 17 summits, and led 36 expeditions, guiding a record of 254 climbers to the summit. Lakpa moved to the United States in 2000 and started working as a full-time mountain guide around the world, leading expeditions in Alaska, Antarctica, and South America. In 2009, he became the first Sherpa to climb the Seven Summits. Lakpa was also named Outside magazine’s “Adventurer of the Year” in 2013. Lakpa has been guiding full time for over 30 years worldwide with several different guiding companies.

About our event partners

We are thrilled to be joined by these wonderful organizations! Please stop by their tables at the event to learn more about their important work. 

NEPAL SEATTLE HIKING COMMUNITY (NSHC) is a Nepalese led non-profit based in the Greater Seattle region serving since 2016 that envisions an inclusive, healthy and thriving community connected with nature.

NORTHWEST SHERPA ASSOCIATION is a non-profit organization established in Seattle,  Washington in 2003 that seeks to preserve and promote Sherpa language, tradition, culture and unite all the Sherpas residing in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America including Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Vancouver B.C, Canada. 

THE JUNIPER FUND is a non-profit that supports and empowers families and communities impacted by the loss of Himalayan high-altitude workers.

WASHINGTON CLIMBERS COALITION is a non-profit that aims to make Washington a better place to climb through advocacy, stewardship, and education.