Everest Wāhine
Holly Beckham’s life has been a relentless climb — a climb through 19 years of addiction, childhood sexual abuse, multiple overdoses, and suicide attempts. After battling PTSD, depression, and borderline personality disorder, Holly has emerged as a symbol of strength and recovery. Now, she stands at the base of a new and monumental challenge: summiting Mount Everest Sagarmāthā.
Holly is not just aiming for the top; she’s on a mission to make history. She aims to become the first wāhine Māori to reach the summit, taking the Tinorangatiratanga haki (flag) with her. This flag embodies her journey, celebrating her triumphs over adversity and symbolising hope for whānau battling addiction and honouring those we’ve lost.
Already Holly has shown she's got what it takes: the documentary 'Te Ara' by Greenstone and Bloom Pictures followed her 2023 climb of Mt Aspiring/Tititea.
As preparation for Everest Sagarmāthā, Holly will undertake three 6,000m+ acclimatisation climbs in the Himalayas in October and November 2024: Lobuche East 6,145m, Island Peak 6,189m and Mera Peak 6,476m.
These 'three peaks' are crucial in her preparation and will also serve as a testament to her recovery and resilience. Holly will post updates of these climbs, with the goal of ultimately creating a documentary about her summiting Everest Sagarmāthā.
Background
At 34 years old, Holly has survived the depths of addiction and is climbing the maunga to recovery. Back in 1988, Te Waipounamu’s Lydia Bradey was the first woman to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. But instead of accolades, she became the subject of public bullying and misinformation, as people challenged her claims.
The call of the Karanga
Lydia and Holly formed an undeniable bond, while filming together recently on The Explorer Club, a kid’s series where rangatahi follow in the footsteps of Aotearoa’s greatest explorers. They can both hear the call of the karanga and in 2025 are determined to ‘knock the bastard off’ together – both physically and metaphorically.
The documentary
To record Holly and Lydia's journey, a documentary will capture the milestones, grit and mahi all the way to the top. And at its heart is the heroic resilience of a young Māori wahine, who’s determined to reconnect with her wairua, by climbing and conquering the world’s highest mountain! It is a true opportunity to break the ice ceiling with Holly and Lydia together.
“Life can be really hard but you can break through and
climb the proverbial mountain.”
Lydia Bradey, ONZM
