Ibu hosts 2016 'National Geographic' 'Adventurer of the Year' in Charleston on Wed. Jan. 30

Mountaineer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita and photographer Cira Crowell will speak at Ibu, a downtown Charleston retail store with a global mission, on Wed. Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. The talk, held on the building’s King Street rooftop, will feature tales of Akita’s mountain climbing as well as photos from Crowell’s travels.

Crowell and Akita are passing through Charleston after attending Savannah, Ga.’s Mountainfilm On Tour, where Mothered by Mountains, a film featuring Akita, is being screened. Crowell reached out to Ibu founder Susan Hull Walker because she and Akita love weaving and are supporters of artisans in Nepal and Bhutan, and want to share sources with Ibu. In advance of the event Walker says, “I want to keep alive, at all times, the adventure within. Here’s to those who show us how.”

In 2016, National Geographic (yes, that one) named Akita “adventurer of the year.” Mary Anne Potts writes, “At National Geographic, our definition of adventure is a broad one, spanning exploration and conservation, the pushing of the boundaries of human potential, cultural boundary breaking, community building, and humanitarianism.”

Akita meets that definition (and then some) as a woman who has climbed the world’s tallest peaks, including K2 and Everest, and worked “tirelessly to serve the disadvantaged in the aftermath of the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal.”

You can read the entire profile of Akita and check out some of her spectacular climbing photos online.
Crowell, a graduate of SCAD and former Charlestonian, has traveled throughout the U.S. and in Iceland, Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Japan.

Her books, Beautiful Resilience: The Enduring Spirit of Upper Gorkha Nepal, Envisioning Ecstasy, and 108 Visions: Ladakh During the Kalachakra, have been used to raise awareness about a number of humanitarian projects.

Learn more about Ibu and upcoming events at ibumovement.com.