Sophie Lavaud is a normal woman with an unusual goal. She has already climbed eleven of the 14 highest mountains in the world. The Geneva native has a good chance of becoming the fourth woman and the first Swiss woman to stand on all 8,000m peaks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔔 Subscribe to SRF Dok now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/srfdok?sub_co... 👉 Would you like to suggest a topic for us? Then write to us: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sophie is neither an exceptional mountaineer nor does she break records. But she has stamina, courage and is not afraid of setbacks. She has already had to return home twice from the 8,167m high Dhaulagiri without reaching the summit - the very mountain that the Swiss first climbed in 1960. Will it work the third time? It is not a straight path that has led Sophie Lavaud to the 8000m peaks. It is an ascent with many hairpin bends and she had to turn back several times. Sophie originally wanted to be a dancer. Pointe shoes, mirrors and tulle were her world, not crampons and down suits. When this lifelong dream burst for health reasons, Sophie discovered this other world of ice and snow, which captivated her more and more. In between, however, there were years of a professional life in which there was little indication that the businesswoman would one day stand on the summit of Everest or K2. But then the financial crisis of 2008 came and Sophie had to reinvent her life once again. She has now completed 18 expeditions to the highest peaks of the Himalayas, eleven of which were successful. But what does success mean on these mountains? And why do people put themselves through the suffering of high-altitude mountaineering? The film accompanies Sophie Lavaud to Nepal to Dhaulagiri in spring 2021 and tells her story of failure and resurrection. Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world and was the penultimate of all 8000-meter peaks to be climbed by a Swiss expedition on May 13, 1960. Seven expeditions before them had failed. The Swiss chose the northeast ridge, which is now considered the normal route. While in those pioneering times climbing 8000-meter peaks was reserved for only the strongest mountaineers, today normal alpinists are also successful, mostly thanks to greater logistical support. More and more women are also drawn to the highest mountains. In Sophie Lavaud's Dhaulagiri expedition in spring 2021, all participants are women, including the film crew. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ▪ A film by Lisa Röösli ▪ Camera: Caroline Fink, Lisa Röösli, Dawa Sangay, Pasang Rinzee Sherpa, Risa Roehrich ▪ Editing: Cyril Moulin ▪ Music: Sonja Mounir ▪ RTS editor: Antoine Plantevin ▪ 3sat/SRF editor: Rajan Autze ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is «DOK»: Our in-depth documentaries on topics from society, nature, politics, sport and business. They are stories as unique as life. NEW DOCUMENTARIES AND REPORTS EVERY WEEK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔔 Subscribe to SRF Dok on YouTube now and activate the bell: https://www.youtube.com/srfdok?sub_co... 👇 You can find out more about documentaries & reports here: 👥 SRF Dok on Facebook: https://fb.com/srfdok 🎧 More stories to listen to: https://www.srf.ch/audio/themen/mensc... 👀 More documentaries on Play SRF: https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/themen/dok... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Channel info: The SRF Dokus & Reportagen teams report factually, avoid "scripted reality" and are committed to journalistic integrity. The editorial team's credo: We show life in all its shades. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Social Media Netiquette from SRF: ► https://www.srf.ch/social-netiquette #SRFDok #Doku #Bergsteigen #Dok #SRF