Arineta Mula
Born into a war-torn land, Kosovar mountaineer Arineta Mula has been breaking boundaries one mountain at a time.
When Kosovo began selecting its first team to summit Mount Everest, Mula lobbied for the chance to join the group of all-male mountaineers. Despite prejudice and resistance from fellow hikers, she insisted she had earned a place on the team.
“On Everest, women are treated differently,” she said. “The sherpas tended to ignore me but listen to my male companions. I do not think it was deliberate. There are far fewer women who climb than men.”
Mula saw the prejudice continue once she returned to Kosovo. “People would make silly comments like ‘Well done, but you were lucky to have a man to help you’,” she said. “I struggled. Everyone does. But when I reached the summit on 22 May 2017, part of the first Kosovar team to do so, I did it with my own efforts.”
Watch the photo gallery here:
http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20190515-the-kosovar-woman-who-conquered-everest