SHAYNA
MOUNTAINEER (SHE/HER)
UNGER
Shayna Unger is a deaf woman, mountaineer, educator, and storyteller, born into a multigenerational deaf family and raised in the deaf community. Growing up, there wasn’t much deaf representation in the outdoors, nor access to outdoor education due to communication barriers. It wasn’t until after college that she began exploring the outdoors through backcountry hiking, bikepacking, sea kayaking, and mountain climbing.
Since climbing her first summit at Mount Kilimanjaro in 2015, she fell in love with climbing. Over the years, she has climbed some of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest (where she became the first deaf woman to summit), Lhotse, Makalu, Manaslu, Denali, Aconcagua, and Kilimanjaro.
Since climbing her first summit at Mount Kilimanjaro in 2015, she fell in love with climbing. Over the years, she has climbed some of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest (where she became the first deaf woman to summit), Lhotse, Makalu, Manaslu, Denali, Aconcagua, and Kilimanjaro.
Beyond the peaks, her passion lies in making the outdoors accessible for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, spreading awareness, and changing global perceptions of deaf individuals.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MOUNTAINEERING?
I climbed my very first peak, Kilimanjaro, during a seven-month overland trip across Africa in 2015. My partner said, “Since we’re already here, why don’t we climb this peak?” I was like, “But I’ve never climbed before!” The moment I stood on the summit, I just knew I wanted to get into mountaineering and climb more peaks.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- BECOMING THE FIRST DEAF WOMAN IN THE WORLD TO SUMMIT MOUNT EVEREST
- BEING PART OF THE FIRST ALL-DEAF TEAM TO SUMMIT DENALI, ALASKA
- BACK-TO-BACK 8,000M PEAKS WITHIN 26 HOURS: MOUNT EVEREST AND LHOTSE
- ALONGSIDE SCOTT LEHMANN: 1 OF FIRST DEAF INDIVIDUALS TO: SUMMIT LHOTSE, NEPAL (2023), SUMMIT MAKALU, NEPAL (2024) & SUMMIT MANASLU, NEPAL (2024).
WHAT PHILOSOPHY GUIDES YOUR CLIMBING?
My philosophy for climbing is to stay present, flexible, and patient; trust my body and intuition; respect Mother Nature; and always remember that the summit is only halfway.
For me, it’s not just about summiting the peaks; it’s about the entire experience—from dreaming and planning, to pushing through the cruxes, connecting with nature, reaching the summits, and then remembering and sharing those stories with others. This is what climbing is all about to me.
For me, it’s not just about summiting the peaks; it’s about the entire experience—from dreaming and planning, to pushing through the cruxes, connecting with nature, reaching the summits, and then remembering and sharing those stories with others. This is what climbing is all about to me.
WHY IS ‘LEAVE NO TRACE’ IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Leave No Trace is important to me because every time I’m out in the outdoors, I always find myself in awe of the magical wilderness places on this planet. I hope generations to come will experience the same, both now and in the years to come. By consistently practicing Leave No Trace principles, we can preserve these natural wonders for all to enjoy, protecting our wilderness areas and minimizing our impact while experiencing the great outdoors.
HOW DOES YOUR COMMUNITY SHAPE
THE MOUNTAINEER YOU ARE?
THE MOUNTAINEER YOU ARE?
“
My Deaf and Hard of Hearing community has shaped me as a mountaineer in so many ways, starting with growing up in the community and being inspired by Deaf role models and their stories, which led me to embrace an identity that’s become a core part of who I am and gain the confidence I needed to navigate the world, and the support I’ve received from the community. These are the reasons I’m out there climbing and what fuels what I do beyond the peaks.
”
WHO DID YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE SPORT WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP?
I wish I could say I had someone to look up to in the sport when I was growing up, but I didn’t have anyone who shared the same identity or communicated the way I do in that space.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIMPLE JOYS THIS SPORT OFFERS YOU?
The moment when the sun emerges after a long night of climbing, the light of the alpenglow fills the sky, and the warmth of the sun hits me. It's a time of stillness—the moment when I look around in awe and am reminded that we are just tiny specks in this vast, beautiful world.
WHAT’S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
“
I think many people don’t realize that I love my life just as it is—I don’t wish I could hear or speak. I love my community, my language, my identity, and the unique perspective being deaf gives me. What I wish is for people to start asking how to communicate, how to work with us, and the best ways to adapt to our needs, both on and off the mountains. Being open-minded and willing to learn new ways to connect makes all the difference for folks like us.
”
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE A DAY OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN?
One of the rituals I do before a summit push is open a ziplock bag containing the 'summit' socks I’ve chosen at home. When I open the bag, the fresh scent of the washed socks reminds me of home, family, and friends. It’s a way for me to feel grounded and connected before the climb. Also, it’s nice to be able to put on some clean socks!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR CAREER?
Complete the Seeing Beyond: Seven Summits project, climb more 8000m peaks, climb peaks I’ve always dreamed of, continue to inspire the next generation of Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth to get outdoors and explore, and be out, out there.
SHAYNA’S FAVORITE
PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS
