This one’s for the mountaineers. I had the pleasure of catching up with Jo Bradshaw about her mountaineering and fundraising exploits and expeditions.
Emily: Hello Jo! It’s been a long time since we last featured you. What adventures/work have you been up to?
It’s been 6 years and so much has happened since our last chat. I’m now 54 and can proudly say that I am a 7 Summits mountaineer!
[Emily: whoop whoop!!!]
When we last spoke I had completed 5 of the 7 Summits, the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. I was getting ready to head off to Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia and then to finish off with Vinson in Antarctica, both in 2019. Carstensz was put on hold due to civil unrest in West Papua, where the mountain lies, so Vinson in Antarctica became number six.
Finally, after five cancellations and seven years of trying, I finally stood on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid, the lowest of the Seven, on the 21st March this year (2025). What a joy to finally have this project concluded with over £45,000 raised for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
In that time, I have also navigated the menopause - a rollercoaster in itself - and am thankfully coming out the other side stronger and more determined to live a purposeful life!
Emily: What was the More Than A Mountain expedition and how did it come about?
In 2023 I decided to put together an expedition, to be run in 2025, which would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first woman to summit Everest in 1975 and one that would also honour those lost in the earthquake which rocked Nepal in 2015. I was at Camp 1 on Everest during the earthquake and still remember it so vividly.
Having read Junko Tabei’s book Honouring High Places, I knew she had led a small team on the accessible 5500m mountain Yala Peak, which lies in the Langtang Valley of Nepal, two years after her Everest success. Langtang Village was destroyed in the earthquake on 25th April 2015 and our route took us through the old and new villages. A great chance to pay our respects to those lost during that fateful earthquake.
Emily: Who was Junko Tabei and who is she to you?
On 16th May 1975, Junko became the first woman in the world to summit Everest. She was climbing leader for the Japanese Women’s Everest Expedition. Despite nearly being killed by an avalanche at Camp 2 on the mountain, 12 days later she stood on the summit with her climbing sherpa, Ang Tsering Sherpa. A moment in the shadows of history that I, as well as fellow Everest summiteers and others, are keen to unhide so many women in mountaineering.
So few people have heard of her. She was a trailblazer for women in mountaineering, encouraging others to climb with her and fulfil their potential in life. A favourite saying of mine is where she writes in Honouring High Places “Everest - I would love to go… but. I found it difficult to hear people crush their dreams with the word ‘but’.” A phrase I use often in my talks now: how are you going to bin your buts!
Emily: Can you tell us a bit more about the Yala Peak expedition?
In April of this year, a team of 14 fabulous women and I - with ages ranging from 29 to 71, including Adventurous Ewe’s director Sue Blunt and fellow Everest summiteer, Tori James (the first Welsh woman to summit Everest) - set off to climb Yala Peak, walking in the footsteps of Junko Tabei. It was an honour to have followed her route and stood on the same peak as she did 48 years ago. We had such an incredible time, tough in places, and full of laughter and support. I wish I could have bottled the essence of this expedition. It was wonderful.
Emily: Did you always intend to make a film?
No, not at all! Originally I was ‘just’ going to lead this expedition with a fabulous group of women. Then we thought about capturing our journey on iPhones and making a short 5 minutes film, just for us. It grew legs, and wings, and is now a beautiful 20 minute homage to Junko and the wonderful women on the expedition, More Than A Mountain.
The film encourages others to bin their buts, just as my team of women did. I see the film as a broader way of celebrating the achievements of Junko, not only for Everest but in life in general. She was also the first woman to complete the 7 summits, so I walked in her footsteps on all of the mountains. She climbed in 95 countries and set up the Junko Tabei Foundation to support school children to climb Mt Fuji, as well as support environmental projects. She was all about giving back.
If you’d like to help fund the More Than A Mountain film, they are 98% of the way to their target! See details on the project’s JustGiving page. [Edit: they are now funded!!]
The film is also being premiered during an evening of celebration for Junko Tabei at Kendal Mountain Festival on 20th November, if you’re attending. If you are unable to make the premiere, the film will be available on the Kendal Mountain Player shortly after the festival concludes.
For more about Jo Bradshaw, you can visit her website jobradshaw.co.uk or follow her on instagram @_jobradshaw
To keep reading, here’s our mid-seven summits interview with Jo Bradshaw. (Bonus prize: ideas on how to pose for photos with an ice axe.)
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Amazing story and wonderful interview! More than a mountain looks incredible, a very well done!