Rebecca Stephens

Rebecca Stephens is a British journalist, mountaineer and television presenter. Stephens was the first British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Originally training as a journalist and pursuing this for ten years, Stephens was the former deputy editor of The Financial Times magazine. Always an enthusiastic skier, in 1989, Stephens took up the sport of climbing accidentally when as a journalist she accompanied an expedition attempting the North East Ridge of Mount Everest.

In 1993, Stephens was part of a later Mount Everest expedition which reached the summit of the mountain, becoming the first British woman to do so. In November of 1994, Stephens became the third woman and the first British woman, to climb the seven continental summits of the Messner list.

In February of 1996, Stephens became the fourth woman, and the second British Woman to climb all seven continental summits of the Bass list when she summited Kosciuszko in mainland Australia. Stephens was appointed an MBE in 1994 and was a presenter on the BBC's television's science series Tomorrow's World from 1994 to 1996.

Additionally to her mountaineering exploits, Stephens has sailed the Southern Seas to the South Magnetic Pole and Antartica and crossed the South Atlantic island of South Georgia. With the polar explorers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud, she competed in an eight-day Eco-Challenge, which consisted of running, biking and canoeing across the Canadian Rockies.