Revisiting the first all-female Everest traverse

Pinay mountaineers share their journey in newly launched book

- Brontë H. Lacsamana

THE TRIUMPH of three Filipina mountaineers — Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon, and Janet Belarmino — who conquered the legendary Mt. Everest in 2007, is the focus of a new book titled Live the Dream 2: The First and Only Traverse of Mt. Everest by Women.

A sequel to Live the Dream, which chronicled the first Philippine Mt. Everest expedition in 2006, the second book honors the legacy of the all-Pinay traverse and the vision that fueled it.

Expedition leader Art Valdez authored both books, and he shared that this one documents what was objectively “the more ambitious goal.”

“These women climbed from Tibet in the north side, crossed the summit, and extended their journey into Nepal. It was really a full traverse of the mountain,” Mr. Valdez said at the May 17 book launch in Makati City.

“Against all odds, these incredible women achieved the first and only female traverse of Mt. Everest in the world, a record-breaking feat that remains unmatched to this day,” he added.