Frances Klatzel

Frances is at home in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya. After a degree in biology, she worked for the Canadian Parks Service. She first came to Nepal to trek, but the people and cultures of this diverse land became her reason for staying in Nepal, much of it in the Everest and Makalu areas. All of this work has utilized her skills in writing, photography, and interviewing for oral history, and her knowledge of natural history and Himalayan cultures. Frances lived in the Khumbu to create a museum of Sherpa culture at Tengboche Monastery. Frances has had several exhibitions of her photographs on Sherpa culture. The Nepal edition of her book, Gaiety of Spirit, was released in 2009, and the Canadian edition in 2010.