When Junko Tabei was growing up in Japan, people called her "weak" and "frail". Despite those labels, Tabei began climbing at age 10 during a school outing. As it turned out, Tabei loved the beauty of the mountains and the fact that climbing wasn't a competitive sport. She enjoyed going at her own pace and the feeling that she wasn't in a race.

As an adult, she only grew to a height of 4 feet 9 inches, but even so, Tabei has proved herself to be a world class high altitude climber. In fact, she was the first woman to successfully climb the Seven Summits

In May, 1975, Tabei led an all Japanese woman Everest expedition. The climbers had to overcome many obstacles, including a massive avalanche. After confirming that everyone in her group was all right, Junko became more determined than ever to continue her climb. Covered with bruises and barely able to walk, she led her climbers, sometimes crawling on her hands and knees. On May 16, 1975, twelve days after the avalanche, Junko Tabei became the first woman in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest. After her historic climb, she was congratulated by the King of Nepal and honored by the Japanese government.

Tabei has a goal to climb the highest peak in every country in the world. Today, at 61, she has slowed down her climbing, but continues to work passionately on ecological concerns. Troubled by the increasingly negative impact climbers have on the nature, Tabei is currently the director of Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan, an organization working on a global level to preserve mountain environments.