Beyond Everest: One Sherpa's Summit and Hope for Nepal
Book Author: Corinne Richardson and Pem Dorjee Sherpa
Beyond Everest tells the story of Pem Dorjee Sherpa, who ran away from his impoverished village in Nepal at age twelve to work in the Everest tourism industry. What begins as a survival story transforms into something far more ambitious: a tale of forbidden love, social barriers, and an audacious plan to get married on top of the world's highest mountain.
Pem's journey from subsistence living in the remote village of Chayangba to becoming a professional mountain guide mirrors the classic immigrant dream of escaping poverty for opportunity. Along the way, he meets Moni Mulepati, one of the few female mountain guides in Nepal and a woman determined to prove that Nepali women can achieve what men can. Their relationship, however, is forbidden. Pem is a Buddhist Sherpa, Moni is a Hindu Newari, and in Nepal, dating—much less marrying—outside your caste is unacceptable. Their romance had to remain secret.
Both had dreams that seemed impossible. Pem wanted to immigrate to America for a better life. Moni wanted to break barriers for women in a country where women have few rights, controlled first by their fathers, then by their husbands, then by their sons. Together, they conceived a plan that would help achieve both goals while setting a world record: they would climb Mount Everest and become the first couple ever to get married on the summit.
What makes their expedition remarkable is that it was an all-Nepali team. Unlike the typical Everest expedition where locals serve as guides for wealthy foreigners, this would be a Nepali-led, Nepali-funded climb with Moni as expedition leader—the first woman to lead an Everest expedition from Nepal. The challenge was formidable: they needed to raise well over $100,000 for the two-month journey. As a woman seeking sponsors, Moni faced countless closed doors before finally securing backing from Rotary International as the title sponsor for their centennial celebration, along with support from Canon and others.
The book vividly describes the physical and mental challenges of the climb itself. Everest is unforgiving—the weather, the altitude, and technical challenges. But co-author Corinne Richardson, who trekked to Everest Base Camp and visited Pem's home village to research the book, brings authenticity to every detail. Working from Moni's detailed climb diary and Pem's memories, the narrative captures both the majesty and terror of the mountain.
Even their climbing partner, Kami Sherpa, didn't know about the wedding plan. When Pem and Moni began their ceremony on the summit on May 30, 2005, Kami looked directly at them and said, "Are you serious?" Then he started filming, capturing the moment that would make them the first and only couple to marry on top of Mount Everest.
But the story doesn't end with the descent of the mountain. Moni had to work to gain her father's approval of the marriage after the fact. Their dream of immigrating to America required years of persistence. The book follows their journey from summit to US citizenship, from breaking barriers in Nepal to building a new life in America, where they now have two daughters.
The final chapters detail how Pem has given back to Chayangba, bringing hydroelectric power and building schools in his home village and other remote areas of Nepal—investments in infrastructure and education that mirror the way successful entrepreneurs reinvest in their communities after achieving success.
Why I Recommend This Book
I have a confession: I know Pem personally through his nephew and have trekked with him in Nepal several times over approximately fifteen trips to Nepal. In 2009, I visited Chayangba and helped build the school and library he founded there. So I came to this book already knowing the protagonist and the happy ending. What surprised me was how much the story resonated beyond the adventure narrative.
The parallels between Pem and Moni's journey and the startup founder experience are striking. Consider the elements: they had an audacious vision that most people thought was impossible. They needed to raise significant capital with no track record and faced rejection after rejection. Moni, as a woman, encountered even more closed doors—investors who wouldn't take her seriously, gatekeepers who dismissed her ambitions. They had to assemble a small, trusted team. They faced life-threatening challenges during execution. Success required both meticulous planning and the ability to adapt when plans fell apart on the mountain. And after achieving their goal, they've spent years giving back to their community.
The difference, of course, is that their venture was arguably harder than most startups. They were literally risking their lives, climbing in the "death zone" where human bodies begin to shut down. The margin for error was zero. And they were doing it while challenging deeply entrenched social structures that forbade their relationship.
What makes this book particularly powerful is the context of Nepal's rigid social hierarchy. In trying to understand Pem and Moni's courage, you have to understand what they were up against. Women in Nepal have historically had few rights and limited agency over their own lives. The caste system determines who you can associate with, who you can marry, what opportunities are available to you. Moni's mother was trying to arrange marriages with Newari boys even as Moni prepared for Everest, assuming the summit would make her daughter more "marketable." The idea that Moni would choose her own husband—and a Buddhist Sherpa at that—was unthinkable.
The story is ultimately optimistic—not because everything is easy or perfect, but because disparate forces find ways to work together and people find ways to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Pem and Moni achieved the impossible not once but repeatedly: summiting Everest, marrying despite social prohibitions, immigrating to America, raising a family, and giving back to Nepal. Their story demonstrates what can happen when you refuse to accept the limitations others place on you.
If you're in the startup world, you'll recognize the fundraising struggles, the skepticism, the moments where everything seems about to fall apart, and the eventual triumph. If you're interested in Nepal, mountaineering, or stories of social change, you'll find this equally compelling. And if you simply appreciate a well-told story of two people who decided the rules didn't apply to them and then proved it on the world's highest stage, Beyond Everest delivers.
Just be warned: after reading this book, you might find yourself looking up flights to Kathmandu.
