Mum of 5 who climbed her first mountain just 3 years ago is set to become the only woman ever to complete the Himalayan ‘triple crown’ challenge

A Pilates instructor who climbed her first mountain just three years ago is set to become the only woman in the world to complete the Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse mountain range – reaching heights of 8,848m.

Rebecca Ferry, 43, was a stay-at-home mum taking care of her five children, Bea, 18, Tom, 16, Alice, 15, Ed, 13, and Iris, 12, until she went on a trip to the Himalayas in 2018 and returned to summit her first peak the following year.

Now mountaineering mad, the Oxford divorcee is on course to climb 7,861m high Nuptse – the third and final mountain in the towering Himalayan range in the next year, saying: “When you complete it, it’s called getting the triple crown.”

She added: “It’s something I’d really love to get and that would make me the first woman to have completed that trilogy.”

A keen runner, growing up Rebecca spent a lot of time in the Scottish hills and in mountainous regions of the UK on holiday, which she feels nurtured her love for climbing them in later life.

She said: “I also had family living in the Peak District, so I had a lot of opportunity growing up to wander around the hills.”

As an adult, Rebecca started trail running, which led to her spending more time racing across tougher terrain.

But it was one race in particular that caught her eye and triggered her passion for climbing.

She said: “There was a mountain race in the Himalayas which looked exciting. I hadn’t taken part in a mountain race before, so it was a new experience for me.”

She added: “I took the leap to give it a go and it ignited this desire to start climbing more mountains.”

And in 2019, Rebecca returned to the Himalayas – which stretch across the north eastern portion of India, covering approximately 1,500 miles, also passing through Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal – to climb her first mountain.

She said: “I met a friend who was at Everest Base Camp and together we climbed Island Peak, which is a 6,160m mountain in the range.”

She added: “It was the first proper mountain climbing I’d done and I suppose it was the catalyst for realising that I just loved everything about it.

“It ticked all the boxes for things I enjoy – having a big day out, spending hours on the side of a mountain in mixed terrain and snow. Then, when we reached the summit, we were welcomed by the most incredible view.

“After that, I had definitely caught the bug.”

Last summer, Rebecca took on K2, which at 8,611m is the second tallest mountain in the world behind Everest, which is 8,848m.

She said: “It was probably the most memorable trip I’ve been on. It was like a dream to climb.

“I’d been warned that it was a particularly difficult mountain, but everything from start to finish went perfectly. We had an amazing team with us which made all the difference and reaching the summit really was the icing on the cake.”

She added: “It was a really special trip that I never imagined I’d get the chance to make.”

The trek took Rebecca around six weeks to complete, during which time her ex-husband stayed home with the children.

She said: “I’m lucky that he works from home, so he was able to take the reins while I completed the climb.”

She added: “It doesn’t mean the chaos of being a mum stopped during that time though.”

On her trips, Rebecca says she regularly takes calls from her children when she is on mountaintops, quizzing her about where their school PE kits are.

She said: “It’s so funny. Just in the summer, my daughter was going to an away camp and she called me while I was mountain climbing to ask me where her wellies were.”

She added: “You’d think someone else in the house would have known better than me, but no, I was the necessary call. Of course, I knew exactly where the wellies were!”

And Rebecca hopes that her children will one day join her for an adventurous trek.

She said: “I’d love for them to join me one day, maybe on a trek to the Everest Base Camp, just so they can get a feel for why these big mountains are so special to me and what unique places they are.”

She added: “As a family, we’re quite sporty and my eldest daughter will often join me on bike rides and runs so, hopefully, one day we’ll go mountain climbing together. That would be wonderful.”

For now, she has her sights firmly set on climbing Nuptse, so she can become the first woman ever to complete the Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse traverse.

She said: “Right now, we’re still fitting the jigsaw pieces together in terms of planning and funding the excursion, so it’s all still very much up in the air.”

She added: “But hopefully, I will complete the trip by April or May next year.

“Mountaineering has become a way of life for me, I’m always keen to get back to climbing.”