Lydia Bradey, of Wanaka, ONZM, for services to mountaineering
Lydia Bradey is an internationally acclaimed mountaineer and a trailblazer for women climbers. In 1988, she was the first woman to climb Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen and remains the only New Zealander to have done so. She has scaled Mt Everest six times, and is the only woman to have successfully guided Mt Everest expeditions four times. She is a qualified New Zealand Mountain Guides Association guide. She has completed more than 20 expeditions to over 6,000 metres. She summited Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring as a 17-year-old, and made seven first female ascents of the 10 ‘Big Walls’ in Yosemite Valley, California. She also holds the first ascents of mountains in Pakistan and Antarctica. Ms Bradey is a Life Member of the New Zealand Alpine Club.