When a deadly avalanche hit Mount Qomolangma a year ago, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, one of the few Nepali women with expertise in climbing the world's highest peaks, headed straight there to help.

A gifted mountaineer who had summited Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest in the West, by the age of 22, she is part of a new generation of Sherpa women who are climbing peaks that have traditionally only been scaled by their men.

"People think mountaineering is a man's job, but I think we need more women in the mountains," the 31-year-old said.