Silvia Vasquez Lavado, Antarctica January 2016

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado (born 1974) is a Peruvian-American explorer, mountaineer, social entrepreneur and technologist. In June 2018, she became the first openly lesbian woman to complete the Seven Summits, the tallest mountain on each continent from both the Messner and Bass lists.[1]

Early years

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado was born and raised in Lima, Peru, during the Peruvian terrorist movement, the Shining Path. Vasquez-Lavado was a victim of childhood sexual abuse. After sharing her struggles with childhood abuse, Vasquez-Lavado's mother encouraged her to leave Peru.

Vasquez-Lavado came to the US on an IIE/Fulbright scholarship and attended Millersville University.[2] She lives in San Francisco.

Mountain climbing

Vasquez-Lavado struggled with depression during her 20s as a result of the trauma from her abuse. In 2005, while attending a meditation retreat in Peru, Vasquez-Lavado had a vision of reconnecting to her inner child and the two of them walking in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Shortly after, Vasquez-Lavado decided to go to the base of Mount Everest in October 2005. After a four-day trek, Vasquez-Lavado arrived at the base of Everest and climbed Kala Pattar.[3] She later summited Everest in May 2016.[3] She is one of the few women in the world who have completed the “Eight Summits” as of 2019, climbing the Seven Summits across both the Bass and Messner lists.[3][4]

Mountaineering summits

Social impact

In 2014, Vasquez-Lavado launched Courageous Girls, a nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking with opportunities to find their strength and cultivate their voice by demonstrating their physical strength.[1][5] Courageous Girls has had projects in Nepal, India, the United States, and Peru.[3][4][5][6]

In the Shadow of the Mountain

In the Shadow of the Mountain, Silvia's first memoir, was released February 1, 2022, in the United States, and internationally on February 3, 2022. In a review for The New York Times, Qian Julie Wang wrote: "Patriarchal societies champion summit journeys as tales of conquest. But Vasquez-Lavado understands that ‘we do not conquer Everest, just like we do not conquer trauma. Instead, we must yield ourselves to the chasms and unexpected avalanches.’"[7] Kirkus Reviews called In the Shadow of the Mountain "An emotionally raw and courageous memoir."[8]

In November 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Selena Gomez is set to be cast as Vasquez-Lavado on the film adaption of In the Shadow of the Mountain.[9][10]

In March 2023, In the Shadow of the Mountain won the prestigious 2023 Edward Stanford Travel Book of the year.[11]

Honors and awards

Vasquez-Lavado was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the Corporate Heroes of 2015.[5] CNET named her one of the 20 most influential Latinos in Silicon Valley.[12] She has been recognized by the Peruvian government as one of the “Marca Peru” ambassadors (country brand ambassadors).[13] Vasquez-Lavado is a member of the Explorers Club.

References

  1. 1 2 Stevens, Heidi. "Survivor empowers sex-abuse victims through mountain climbing". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  2. ↑ "Alum Conquers Mount Everest – Millersville News". Millersville University. 2016-06-03. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Parris, Aer (2018-12-14). "Meet the First Openly Gay Woman to Complete the Seven Summits". REI Co-op Journal. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  4. 1 2 3 "Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, first Peruvian woman to climb Everest". EFE. 2016-07-05. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Silvia Vasquez-Lavado". Fortune. 2015-06-16. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  6. ↑ "Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, first Peruvian female to conquer Everest". andina.pe (in Spanish). 2016-05-19. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  7. ↑ Wang, Qian Julie (2022-02-01). "For This Mountaineer, Everest Was a Challenge and a Path to Peace". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  8. ↑ IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN | Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  9. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (2020-11-11). "Selena Gomez to Play Trailblazing Gay Mountaineer Silvia Vasquez-Lavado for Scott Budnick's One Community (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  10. ↑ "Selena Gomez's New Movie Role is a Pioneering Mountain Climber". 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  11. ↑ @NatGeoUK (2023-03-02). "What to read: the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2023 winner and shortlist". National Geographic. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  12. ↑ Casi, Pilar C. (2015-09-21). "These are the 20 most influential Latinos in Silicon Valley". AL DÍA News. Archived from the original on 2019-03-09. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  13. ↑ "Mujer.21: Silvia Vásquez-Lavado, la primera peruana en llegar al Everest". Peru21 (in Spanish). 2016-08-21. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
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