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One Among Giants
An Interview with Adriana Brownlee
Adriana Brownlee made headlines in 2024 after becoming the youngest woman to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks - and the first ever female Brit to do so.
One of Britain’s premier mountaineers, we managed to catch up with Adriana in a rare moment when she wasn’t out training or high on a mountainside.
Here is a fascinating window into her life and accomplishments.
An Interview with Adriana Brownlee
Adriana Brownlee made headlines in 2024 after becoming the youngest woman to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks - and the first ever female Brit to do so.
One of Britain’s premier mountaineers, we managed to catch up with Adriana in a rare moment when she wasn’t out training or high on a mountainside.
Here is a fascinating window into her life and accomplishments.
Why don’t we start at the beginning. Do you remember what first drew you to mountains - the very first time something sparked in your mind - and when that was?
Adriana: My father climbed mountains as a hobby when I was quite young and I remember being in awe of what he did, wishing that one day I could join him too. The flame was ignited when my father suggested we try the UK Three Peaks challenge together - I was age 9 at the time. I guess he saw something inside of me before I even knew my own potential! It took us 22 hours, and landed me in the local newspaper as the youngest ever to complete the challenge in under 24 hours.
Following this I was addicted to the adrenaline rush of achieving huge goals and being unique amongst my peers. I wrote a letter to myself as part of a homework assignment which said: “I want to be famous for climbing the highest mountain in the world, it is called Mt Everest."
Quite a few years passed between your early adventures like the UK Three Peaks and your first grand adventures to altitude. What was going on during that period - how did you progress from the UK’s hills to foreign summits?
After the Three Peaks I continued training with my father like a mad person, I was so obsessed! If I missed a weekend of training it would ruin my week. I focused on school which of course was very important, if not more important than the mountains.
I continued to pursue my passion for climbing again from age 15, and found ways to either squeeze climbs into holidays or just skip school altogether and take a couple days off in the week! I completed the Welsh 3000s, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Aconcagua alongside my dad, and we climbed in the Alps too.
After that I took a gap year which was intended for climbing Everest but Covid began and it was postponed until 2021. At age 20 I succeeded in summiting Everest, making my childhood dream come true - but this time it was a different feeling. I was no longer climbing with my dad and although I felt as though a part of my success and celebration was not whole, it was also the beginning of my independence as a strong young female alpinist.
It was during this time I met Gelje Sherpa, my partner, just before Everest. I instantly knew he would be the person I climb with forever. He was there on almost every 8000er - 12 to be exact - and without him I wouldn’t have completed such an incredible project.
In your formative years as a mountaineer were there any role models that shaped your ambitions?
Honestly, I was just inspired by athletes in general. I remember watching the Olympics and just thinking wow - the grit, blood, sweat, and tears it must’ve taken to get there is beyond my comprehension. I truly believed their mindsets were way beyond any ‘normal’ people I’d met and sometimes, I thought, maybe I have that too! I also admired some mountaineers, but truly not many - they were mostly male and I couldn't really identify with them. I got to know some of the pioneering females later on in my life.
My dad was a huge role model for me, and equally my mother too. They are both incredibly passionate about their respective careers and that motivated me to study hard, be proactive, and train even harder to reach my dream of climbing Everest.
Last year you summited Shishapangma, completing your incredible goal of climbing all fourteen 8000m peaks - and in only three years.
Taking on all these climbs in such quick succession, what kind of physical and mental toll did that cumulative effort take on you? How did you sustain three years of effort, what state were you in when you finished?
Physically my body has changed and probably been affected in ways I don't know yet! The most-impacted part of my body is my brain - I must have lost billions of brain cells from the altitude, especially the climbs I did without supplemental oxygen, which in turn has affected memory. But it’s slowly coming back to normal! It has also affected my eyesight, which again, I don't know the science behind!
“The mountains have taught me so many lessons about myself, resilience, and hard work”
Mentally it has just solidified that mental drive and strength I have had since I was 8 years old and started climbing. The mountains have taught me so many lessons about myself, resilience, and hard work - and how it can unlock great achievements you want to carry out if you harness it from within.
During the project, having Gelje by my side got me through the really bad times when I just wanted to pack up and leave, but he kept me motivated! When I finished the project I was extremely proud, excited but also anxious that I didn't have a big goal propelling me through life anymore - but luckily we had AGA which became my next “14 peaks” and has consumed all my resilience and drive up till now!
What does the gender balance look like in high-altitude mountaineering in 2025? What changes have you noticed in recent years, if any?
When I started the project of climbing the 14 peaks there were just a handful of women on the mountains; now, it’s grown exponentially which is absolutely amazing to see. I am probably biased but I really do believe women are mentally more resilient on the mountains in pressured situations, and we express how we are feeling to our guides which is incredibly important and useful for knowing when to continue or when to turn back!
I really hope more women join the mountaineering world. It’s a special place, and generally incredibly welcoming and accepting. As one of the only female expedition company owners in the UK and Nepal, I am really hoping that AGA can be a safe and inspiring place for more women to explore the Himalayas and mountains all over the world!
It must be a different experience being in charge of expeditions now, rather than simply being a member - tell us a bit about this.
It is very different - but we absolutely love it! There were a few reasons why we started AGA Adventures. Principally, we really wanted to create a company that focuses on safety - something which we have seen lacking hugely on the mountains these days. We also wanted to create a company that feels like a family. Gelje and I, along with our best friend Ashok - who is the other “A” in AGA - were one family with big dreams. Sadly Ashok passed away 3 years ago and that tragic time fueled Gelje and I to ‘get on with it’ and open the company. The last reason was to focus on high performance, creating bespoke and individualized expeditions for each client and we certainly got to test out that theory on Mitch!
“Gelje was there on almost every 8000er – 12 to be exact – and without him I wouldn’t have completed such an incredible project.”
Being on the other side of expeditions, you really get to see what's happening on the mountains (good and bad), and it's a platform to make changes. We really hope that soon we will have a big enough voice to make impactful changes that are needed, such as regulations on experience required before doing an 8000er.
Like Jöttnar, AGA supported Mitch Hutchcraft on his way to the summit of Everest after his 13,000km triathlon across the world. How was that experience for you?
It was truly an all-round incredible experience - it didn’t feel like work! Mitch is such a great guy: humble, down to earth, and of course extremely strong. He made Gelje and I feel like we were just along for the ride with him rather than guiding him! We were incredibly proud of him and proud of us too. I hope we can work with more clients like Mitch in the future!
As an expedition guide you unlock dream adventures and experiences for your clients, which must be very rewarding. But, do you have any personal goals on the horizon?
It’s been quite nice to be on the other side of expeditions - but I have become a little too comfortable, so I have set myself a goal of climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen next year. Training has already started for that which I'm very excited about!
After her extraordinary exploits climbing the great Himalayan giants, Adriana’s name now sits firmly among those etched into mountaineering lore.
It’s a non-stop game for her - and we look forward to watching her forthcoming expeditions unfold.
Adriana Brownlee is a British Mountaineer and co-owner of the AGA Adventures.
