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Peru's First All Female 8000m Expedition

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Hijas de la Montaña is the passion project of Flor Cuenca y Malu Espinoza, two of Peru's top mountaineers. They want to show that Peruvian women can work together to achieve feats that few others do. Along with three other women from different regions of Peru, they plan to climb Manaslu (8163m) in September/October 2024*, without personal porter support or supplemental oxygen.

This expedition is 100% self-funded, with each of the women having to raise the money for her own participation (over $14,000 per person). Each is looking for individual and team sponsorship/funding opportunities, but they need your help! Any donation you can give will help Flor, Malu, Lixayda, Yudith, and Roberta achieve their dream and inspire women in Peru and throughout Latin America.

Click the donate button to support the team or read on for more information...

Why is This Expedition Important?

Despite many advances on paper, in government policy and law, there is still vast gender inequality in Peru. Women are much less likely to study beyond secondary school, enter the workforce or earn a fair wage, than men. Sexism and the "machismo" culture mean opportunities for women - in education, employment and even recreation - are limited and harder won.

Although there are big mountains in Peru (the tallest is Huascaran, standing at 6768m/22,200ft), the national mountaineering scene is relatively small. For women to break into it (and even lead it - Flor was the first Peruvian to summit K2 in the Himalayas without supplemental oxygen) is a big deal. This expedition is the first time in history that a group of Peruvian women is coming together to work towards the ambitious objective of summitting an 8,000m peak, without personal porter support or supplemental oxygen. The expedition will not only be empowering for the women involved, but will inspire other women in Peru and throughout Latin America and demonstrate what women can achieve together.

Who's on the Team?

The team is a mix of long term and new climbers, all dedicated to reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II in the middle of next year.
Flor Cuenca - Team leader with 24 experience climbing mountains, including six 8,000m peaks in the Himalaya, all without supplemental oxygen.
Margarita (Malu) Espinoza - Soon to be the first female, UIAGM certified mountain guide in Peru, she has climbed mountains throughout and has participated in an all-female expedition to a "virgin" mountain in the Himalaya.
Lixayda Vasquez - Over the last 20 years, Lixayda has climbed more than 100 mountains, 21 of them over 6,000m, throughout Peru and South America.
Yudith Mamani - She climbed her first mountain in 2019, and has thrown herself into the sport ever since. She is also training to be a UIAGM certified mountain guide.
Roberta Guzman - Having reached her first peak in 2017, most of Roberta's mountaineering experience has come in the last two years, summitting various mountains throughout Peru, including four over 6,000m.
Yvonne (Tana) Mejia - Tana spearheaded Peruvian mountaineering in the 1980s and 90s, being part of the first Peruvian expedition to an 8,000m peak. She is now supporting the new generation of female mountaineers through coordination from Peru.
Sonia Bermudez - Sonia is helping organise and coordinate the expedition. Her deep love of the mountains lead her to become the treasurer of the Peruvian Climbing Federation and the coordinator of it's Women and the Mountains Commission.

How You Can Help
Make a donation through this GoFundMe page!
• Share this page with your friends and family, to help us spread the word.
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
• If you have company that it interested in corporate sponsorship, contact us for more information about our corporate sponsorship packages.

* Changed from the original expedition date of June/July 2023
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 1 mo
  • kerry klein
    • $300
    • 3 mos
  • Viral M
    • $40
    • 4 mos
  • Nancee Neel
    • $100
    • 4 mos
  • Leigh Wanamaker
    • $100
    • 4 mos
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Fundraising team: Equipo de recaudación de fondos (5)

Simona Coayla-Duba
Organizer
Leadville, CO
Lixayda Vasquez
Team member
Flor Cuenca
Team member
Roberta Guzman
Team member
Sonia Luz Bermúdez Lozano
Team member
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