EEC 040: How Mountaineering to Mount Everest Teaches Followship with Sophie Lavaud

How Mountaineering to Mount Everest Teaches Followship. What are the golden rules of good fellowship. Sophie Lavaud explains what makes an exceptional team?

Sophie Lavaud, an exceptional woman who shares her journey to the highest mountain peaks over 8,000 meters.  What did she learn about leadership and fellowship in these extreme conditions?  Sophie Lavaud describes her thrilling experiences at the peak mountain tops of mother Earth.  Tune in to listen to this exceptional woman doing extremes sports while working in a day job. Check out her video.

Who is Sophie Lavaud?

Sophie Lavaud learned to ski at the same time she learned to walk. After completing her studies in Lyon, she began her career in sales and marketing in the hospitality industry based in Geneva. After 12 years in this field, she moved into the world of luxury goods. Six years later, she managed her own business specialized in events management.

For over a decade, Sophie Lavaud has been a dedicated mountaineer. Following her successful ascent of Mont Blanc in 2004, she developed a passion for conquering mountain peaks. This took her to Asia, Africa, and South America in pursuit of higher and more challenging summits. In May 2012, on her first attempt, she successfully summited Shishapangma (8’027 m) and Cho Oyu (8’201 m), making her one of only a dozen women worldwide who has successfully climbed two peaks of over 8,000 meters in one season. This earned her the nickname title of “The 16,000 Lady”.

Together with François Damilano, French mountain guide and filmmaker, Sophie Lavaud reached the Tibetan North route, the summit of Mount Everest (8’850 m) on May 25, 2014. The film called “Everest, Summit of desire” is the story of this great adventure.

April 25th 2015, Sophie had to turn down at 6’200 meters of altitude on mount Makalu because of the terrible hearth-quake in Nepal. The month of June and July have been dedicated to climb mount Gasherbrum II (8,035m) that Sophie successfully summited on July 16th after fighting 16 hours to reach the peak. Her nickname has changed to “The 32,000 Lady!”

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