A British nurse and university lecturer has successfully scaled Mount Everest as part of a global mountaineering challenge aimed at spotlighting the resilience and strength required in the nursing profession.
Rowena Rowberry, 34, a nursing lecturer at the University of Derby, reached the summit of the world’s highest peak at 8,849 metres on Sunday morning. Her climb marks the fourth leg of her quest to conquer the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
Rowberry, who began her expedition in January 2024, has already summited Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Mount Elbrus in Russia, and Aconcagua in Argentina. She now turns her sights to the final three peaks: Puncak Jaya in Indonesia, Denali in Alaska, and Mount Vinson in Antarctica.
The mountaineer, originally from Hatton, is undertaking the challenge to raise funds for the Royal College of Nursing Foundation and to spotlight the often-overlooked physical and emotional toll of nursing.
Speaking to the BBC shortly after returning to Base Camp on Monday, Rowberry described the Everest climb as both “physically and mentally exhausting,” adding, “I’m exhausted and a little bit broken but I’m just so glad to be back at Base Camp and back to safety.”
Her summit attempt began at 02:00 local time on Thursday, alongside a team of three fellow climbers and a group of Sherpas. The group reached the peak by 09:45 on Sunday. With limited sleep during the ascent and only six hours rest during the descent, Rowberry arrived back at Base Camp just before 15:45 on Monday.
Despite the celebratory atmosphere—marked with beer and pizza—Rowberry recounted the immense physical toll of the descent, including battling back spasms. “I feel battered and bruised, mentally and physically exhausted,” she admitted. “If it wasn’t for my amazing Sherpas who kept encouraging me, I wouldn’t have made it. They were the real machines behind this success.”
From the summit, Rowberry described stunning panoramic views, including sights extending into China. “I’ve never seen horizons that big,” she said. “It felt very surreal. Everest has a lot of false summits, so you think you’re nearly there, and then there’s another climb.”
At one point, she and her Sherpa guide were the only people at the summit. “We were the only two people at the highest part of the Earth,” she said.
Rowberry attributes much of her perseverance to qualities developed through nursing. “There’s so much I’ve been through, and I don’t think I would have been able to do this if I hadn’t had some of the qualities nursing has given me. I wanted to shine a light on the profession and show what we can do.”
Though she has three peaks left in her challenge, Rowberry joked about needing recovery time: “At the moment, I don’t want to climb a flight of stairs, never mind another mountain.”
She continues to raise funds through her climbs, hoping her journey will inspire greater recognition of the challenges nurses face daily.
