Magda King began her climbing career in Spain in the 1960s. Back then，Spanish climbers were conquering one summit after another in the Andes and Himalayas.One problem, though: they were all men.
"No Spanish woman had ever summited an eight-thousand-meter peak," she said.“I began asking myself, 'If a man can do it, why not a woman? In fact, why not me?”
Setting conquering an eight-thousand-meter peak as her life's goal，Magda began climbing higher and higher mountains. In 1987,Magda assembled a team to climb Mt. Yalung Kang (8,505m) in Eastern Nepal, and she might very well have succeeded had the weather cooperated.
We were caught for six days at 20,000 feet in the worst storm in a century," she said.“There was so much snow that we had to come out of our tents every two hours to dig ourselves out. We survived on tea and soup.”
Two years later, she tried again. This time, the goal was Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m) on the Nepal-China border. Magda and another female climber, Monica Verge, literally raced up that mountain.
The full impact of what they'd done did not strike them until they were safely back in Barcelona.
“Being the first women to conquer an eight-thousand-meter peak,we'd essentially rewritten the history of Spanish mountaineering,"Magda said.
Even so, she was not prepared for the hero's welcome that awaited them when they returned."We became instant celebrities,"she said.“The president of Spain called to congratulate us. Total strangers would come up to us on the streets to shake our hands. We were even the answer to a question on a quiz show on Spanish TV.”
Magda went on to conquer seven of the 14 highest peaks in the world.But by 1995, she was beginning to rethink her priorities.
"I'd always looked for ways to fulfill my own dreams," she said."Now I wanted to gain meaning and purpose by helping others. It was really a big shift for me.”
She flew to Nepal to look for a project that might benefit the families of the Sherpas(夏尔巴人) who'd accompanied her on her Himalayan expeditions. What they needed most, she decided, was an education for their kids.
Now Magda and her husband established a foundation dedicated to building schools in Nepal.So far, they've built seven schools.
"“Both the kids and their parents have received an education, and the standard of living has improved,”Magda said. "We've learned that if you partner with people, miracles can and do happen."
1. Why did Magda King's team fail to conquer Mt. Yalung Kang?
2. When did Magda King conquer Mt.Cho Oyu?
3. What happened to Magda and Monica after they conquered Mt. Cho Oyu?
4. According to Magda, a big shift for her was from mountaineering to.
5. What did the families of the Sherpas in Nepal need most according to Magda?
