LEWISTON – Pemba Dolma Sherpa, the only Nepalese woman to have twice reached the summit of Mount Everest, will speak at Bates College at 4:10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, in Room 204 of Carnegie Science Hall, 44 Campus Ave.

Sponsored by the Bates Outing Club and the International Club, the talk is open to the public at no cost.

She will talk about the Himalayas and climbing, and about growing up poor in one of the world’s poorest countries, battling caste and gender discrimination. Born into a farming family in a remote village, she persevered to become one of the most accomplished female climbers in the world – and one of the least-recognized.

In addition to scaling Everest from both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides of the mountain, Sherpa has topped Nepal’s Cho Oyu and Mont Blanc in the French Alps. All but one of her summit climbs have been accomplished without sponsorship or outside support. Pemba is also a mother, and continues to climb with the encouragement of her young daughter.