RIP JUNKO TABEI, the first woman, Mt. Everest conqueror

The first woman, Mt. Everest conqueror (1997, may 16),  Junko Tabei (Japan) is no more, RIP (2016. oct 20 Junko Tabei: (Japan) became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest on 5/16/75 via the South-East Ridge route. Junko was born Fukushima Prefecture JAPAN - 1939, went to Showa Women's University  and is married with 2 children. She says she was attracted to mountain climbing by the experience of climbing Mt. Nasu with a teacher when she was 10 years old. She began climbing around 1962 after graduating from Showa Women's University where she studied English literature.

She formed women's mountain climbing club "Ladies Climbing Club: JAPAN (LCC)" in 1969. Junko became the first woman to reach the Everest peak in 1975. Since then, she has climbed many mountains all over the world, and is the first woman to have achieved the summits of the highest peaks on all seven continents.

She still climbs at least 3-4 mountains per year. She currently is the director of Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan (HAT-J), an organization dedicated to preserving the mountain environment.

Her most notable Summit climb of late: Muztagh Ata 2001

Biography here
http://www.junko-tabei.jp/profile/index-e.html