Celebrating Junko Tabei and 50 Years of Women on Everest – with Tori James, Jo Bradshaw & Rosemary J Brown

·39 min·3 clips

Three female Everest summiteers gather to reveal why Junko Tabei's 1975 climb remains a hidden story.

This episode of the Tough Girl Podcast features host Sarah Williams in conversation with three guests: Tori James, the first Welsh woman to climb Everest; Jo Bradshaw, an Everest summiteer and expedition leader; and Rosemary Brown, a journalist focusing on women adventurers. The discussion centers on Junko Tabei, the Japanese mountaineer who summited Everest in 1975, and the 50th anniversary of this achievement. Tori reveals she didn't know about Tabei when climbing Everest in 2007, sparking her 'First Females' podcast to highlight similar stories. Jo organized an all-female expedition to Yala Peak in Nepal, which Tabei climbed in 1977, involving 13 women aged 29 to 71. Rosemary shares her emotional journey to join this trek despite age and book deadline constraints. The guests recount magical moments from the expedition, such as meeting Japanese trekkers and mountaineer Leo Houlding, who praised Tabei. They delve into Tabei's life from her book 'Honouring High Places,' noting her resilience as a sickly child and her role in forming a women's climbing group in Japan. The episode includes insights from Tabei's family and friends, emphasizing her positive attitude and support from her husband. Each guest plans a 'MyJunkoJourney' activity on May 16th, like walking to local high points. Advice is offered to women wanting to pursue adventure, focusing on taking action and defying stereotypes. The episode concludes with a promo for Tori's podcast and resources on the Tough Girl website.

As heard by us

A thoughtful mountain episode about acclimatization, personal pacing and shared effort.

This Tough Girl Podcast episode has a warm, celebratory shape as Sarah Williams brings Rosemary Brown, Tori James and Jo Bradshaw back together to talk through what sits behind big mountain goals.

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Why you'd press play

You get a return to Nepal, the texture of expedition life, and the small details that make a mountain challenge possible.

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