Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is the Author of In The Shadow of the Mountain. In 2016, Silvia became the first Peruvian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. By 2018, she completed climbing the 7 Summits (otherwise known as the tallest mountain in each continent), becoming the first openly gay woman to do so.

Silvia's memoir is not a story of an arrogant tale of forging herself through the sweat and grit of alpine mountaineering but a journey to understand what Silvia’s heart was calling for when it led her to the mountains and what the mountains can teach us if we pay attention.

Silvia's story is not a triumph over nature or addiction or trauma, but a complex, engaging exploration of what it means to let nature—both Mother Nature and our wild inner nature—lead the way toward truth and healing.

Silvia is a role model for anyone who has been told that their identity comes with limitations. She is a fierce advocate for LGTBQ+ equality and women's rights and sexual abuse survivors. Silvia's achievements made her recognized as a leader on and off the mountain and a symbol of women's empowerment worldwide.