LYDIALYDIA IS THE FIRST WOMAN IN THE WORLD TO CLIMB MT EVEREST WITHOUT OXYGEN.

SHE REACHED THE SUMMIT ALONE, ON OCT 16, 1988.

Lydia is the only New Zealander ever to have climbed Everest without oxygen. 

 

In 2008 Lydia successfully guided Everest, reaching the summit for the second time on May 24, at 5am.  She joins the ranks of the very few women to have guided Everest, and becomes the only New Zealand woman to have climbed it twice.   
 
 A Mountaineer, Guide and Speaker Lydia lives in Lake Hawea, near Wanaka, in the South of New Zealand.

Her passion is the mountains, whether they are in the Himalayas or the Southern Alps.
 
  Often asked why she climbs mountains; Lydia describes her love of nature, the simplicity and meaningfulness of life in the outdoors and the sharing of these experiences with other people that attracts her to the mountains.

 PRESENTATIONS: Lydia gives inspiring presentations about adventures, accepting and overcoming challenges to reach the summit. She divides her work time between presentations, and mountain guiding from exploration in Mongolia to Everest.

    PHILOSOPHY:  Guiding is an opportunity to share the experience of the beauty and wilderness of the mountains with people. A guide enables those with little time or experience to venture safely into environments otherwise too remote or wild. It is a privilege to be a part of and to enable an adventure in a beautiful place, to encourage appreciation of our natural environment, and to share the joys of a life less complicated but certainly meaningful, compared to our normal daily lives.  
    
To Lydia, it is the time she shares in the mountains that adds value to her life.


Traverse of Double and Single Cone in winter, The Remarkables, New Zealand 2010