Mollie Hughes
Mollie Hughes is a British mountaineer and sports adventurer who in 2017 broke the world record for becoming the youngest woman to climb both sides of Mount Everest, and in 2020 became the youngest woman to ski solo to the South Pole.
Early life
Mollie Hughes was born on 3 July 1990 and grew up in Torbay in Devon.She studied psychology and sports biology at the University of the West of England, in Bristol. For her final year project, she decided to investigate the psychological experience of climbing Mount Everest, interviewing seven male climbers who had all reached the summit. Hughes explored their motivation, their ability to control fear, the psychological pressures they faced, and their experience of reaching the summit.
Everest expeditions
In 2012, Hughes joined an expedition to climb Mount Everest from the South side of the mountain. She reached the summit on 19 May 2012. She was accompanied by her friend and guide Lhakpa Wongchu Sherpa who is from Pangboche in the Solukhumbu.In 2017, Hughes climbed Mount Everest from the North side. Accompanied again by Lhakpa Wongchu Sherpa, British mountain guide Jon Gupta, and Lila Tamang. They reached the summit on 16 May 2017, and Hughes became the youngest woman to summit Everest from both the North and South sides at the age of 26.