Gilian Lee's against-the-odds survival comes amid a horror climbing season,with 11 mountaineers reported dead or missing so far during the northern hemisphere spring.
"Every year after there's a massive disaster the operators and Sherpas think nobody’s going to come back to Everest again,"says documentary maker Jennifer Peedom. But more always come.
It's been one of the deadliest seasons on top of the world's highest peak,but the problem hasn't been avalanches,blizzards or high winds.
The 49-year-old has returned safely but half a dozen others died while attempting the climb last week.
The Oscar-winning movie about Alex Honnold has helped shift climbing from a niche sport into the mainstream.
The women hope by scaling the world's highest mountain they can upturn perceptions about a widow's worth and complete the unfinished ascent of their husbands,who died working as guides for foreign mountaineers.