Allie’s Summit Story from the Slopes of Kanchenjunga
Hayley Livesey • May 26, 2025
On 24 May 2025 at 6:26am (NPT), Australian mountaineer Allie Pepper reached the summit of Kanchenjunga (8,586m) - the third-highest mountain in the world - alongside her partner, Mikel Sherpa. The summit was achieved in extreme weather and under immense physical strain, making it one of the most intense and emotional climbs of her career.
Just two days later, on 26 May, Allie flew out of Base Camp - marking the end of the expedition and the celebration of a deeply personal milestone: her 50th birthday.
A Fierce Mountain With No Easy Path
Kanchenjunga is known for its remoteness, technical difficulty, and unpredictable weather. After reaching Camp 3 (6,850m) on 15 May, Allie and Mikel climbed to Lower Camp 4 (7,180m) the next day to acclimatise before descending all the way to Base Camp. The return was gruelling — with heavy packs, steep terrain, and a final climb that left Allie physically exhausted.
At Base Camp, the waiting game began. While several teams rushed for a brief weather window around 18 May, Allie held back for a clearer opportunity. By 20 May, conditions aligned for a summit push. The team moved to Camp 2 on 21 May, then Camp 4 on 23 May, arriving late in the day with only two hours of rest before beginning their final ascent.
A Battle on the Summit Ridge
The final climb was punishing. Temperatures dropped, the wind picked up, and both Allie’s camera and inReach froze in the cold. Oxygen became essential - a necessary tool to ensure safe passage to the top.
At 6:26am on 24 May, after hours of climbing through the night, Allie and Mikel reached the summit of Kanchenjunga. Their time at the top was short, but the moment was powerful - the culmination of weeks of effort, patience, and resolve.
They returned to Base Camp on 25 May, physically drained but safe.
As Allie later shared:
“I love the mountain… but Kanchenjunga was a brutal one. If it’s possible for an entire expedition to be type 2 fun, this was it.”
A Birthday and a Milestone
On 26 May, Allie marked her 50th birthday by flying out of Base Camp - a quiet but powerful celebration after one of the hardest climbs of her life. She also reached 50,000 followers on Instagram, a goal she’d quietly set before the expedition.
Follow along as the journey continues.
Follow along as the journey continues.
latest news

Over the past two months I travelled through Dubai, Glasgow, Stockholm, Berlin, Brighton, London, Monaco, Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels, speaking to healthcare professionals and audiences at various congresses about menopause awareness and human performance. Across these cities I shared my story from menopause to Menopeak, showing how hormone therapy has supported my mission to climb all fourteen of the world’s 8000 metre peaks without supplemental oxygen. I spoke openly about my journey, my training, and the mindset that allows women to redefine what is possible in midlife. You can now watch a clip from Monaco News which features part of my talk and my keynote with Besins Healthcare staff. It captures the heart of this tour and the message I am bringing to the world. More updates are coming soon.

🌏 I’m excited to share something very close to my heart. Saturday, Sept 20, is the worldwide online streaming premiere of my film, Limitless Above the Clouds. Filmed with Thin Air Productions, my Sherpa teammates, and myself, it tells the story of my mission to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks without supplemental oxygen. It’s about resilience, transformation, and the courage to keep going when the mountains inside feel bigger than those outside. 🎥 Watch anytime between Sept 20–27 (48-hour viewing window). 💻 Join the live Q&A on Sept 20 at 6:00pm AEST. This premiere also celebrates the launch of the Golden Goddess Alpine AP 50 — a special edition ultralight pack that I co-designed with Whippa Outdoors and tested on five 8,000m peaks. 🎁 During the Q&A, Whippa will be giving away one Golden Goddess Alpine AP 50 to an Australian ticket holder, plus prizes for our global audience. 👉 Tickets are $15 USD - click on the button below. I’d love for you to be part of this milestone — to watch the film, join the conversation, and celebrate this next step of the journey with me. 💛 Limitless Above the Clouds.

Nanga Parbat continues to test every ounce of Allie’s courage and endurance as she moves closer to her goal of another 8,000m summit – without supplemental oxygen. Her recent updates from the mountain capture just how demanding and unpredictable this climb has been so far. Here’s a look at her latest progress: On 21 June, Allie and Mikel reached Camp 2 at 6,045m after nearly 11 grueling hours on steep, icy terrain. Exhausted on every level – mentally, physically and emotionally – they also faced a terrifying close call when a massive boulder broke free 800m above them. Miraculously, it missed them, but a smaller rock struck Allie’s arm, leaving her bruised but undeterred. The next day, 22 June, they climbed higher to 6,400m, but made the smart decision to turn back and rest rather than risk pushing too hard before the final summit bid. On 23 June, the descent back to Base Camp turned into its own adventure. Frozen ropes, sharp rock and a cut rappel line forced Allie to tie her rope off with one hand mid-descent – a moment that could have ended very differently. Back at Base Camp, the sudden contrast of green grass, birdsong and flowers felt almost dreamlike after so many days in the harsh, exposed world above. On 25 June, Allie shared a raw reflection about the mindset that keeps her moving forward: “Even though it’s hard AF here on the mountain, after doing a hard thing, I feel amazing. Just because it’s hard and scary doesn’t mean I will run away. To make our biggest dreams become reality we have to step into the unknown. The more we do it, the easier it becomes.” After a short rest, the plan shifted. By 27–28 June, Allie confirmed that the rope-fixing team would push ahead to aim for a 3rd July summit, with Allie and Mikel following a day behind to establish Camp 4 above 7,000m and aim for the summit on the 4th of July. On 30 June, they left Base Camp for Camp 1, moving through worsening conditions with melting ice, waterfalls and loose rock. They reached Camp 1 in just over 3 hours and rested briefly before setting out again at midnight to climb to Camp 2 under cover of darkness – the safest way to avoid dangerous rockfall. By 1 July, they made it to Camp 2 after a punishing 9-hour night climb up endless rock and hard ice. Allie described front-pointing hundreds of metres up the steep face as “extremely painful” but was relieved to tick off this critical stretch. And on 2 July, they pushed higher still to Camp 3 at 6,800m. The climb was brutally tough – more unstepped ice and constant rockfall meant more danger and fatigue, but they made it. Now at Camp 3, Allie is resting and watching the weather and the route carefully before moving up to Camp 4 and the final summit push. Through it all, she continues to remind us what resilience really looks like – facing danger, discomfort and fear head-on, yet still holding onto her vision and purpose. Allie will share more as she pushes for the summit in the days ahead. Thank you for following and supporting her journey to stand on top of Nanga Parbat. Stay tuned – and keep sending her your good energy! 💙🏔️✨

