Trainees observe as instructors at the 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Co. provide lessons on climbing a rock surface in Pokhara, Nepal, on March 2, 2014. When Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chettri tried to break into Nepal's male-dominated trekking industry 20 years ago, competitors tried to run them out of business. Men threatened them, harassed them - even filed bogus police reports against them. Photo: AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha /MCT

Slow, Steady Climb

###### Since then, women have made progress in politics, education and business.

In 1990, about 5 percent of Nepali politicians were female, but women won a third of the seats in the 2008 election for parliament. Some laws that discriminate against women have been changed, including one that allowed only sons to inherit their parents' property.

###### In 2008, Basnet led a 10-member Nepali women's team to Everest. She gave the credit for the greater number of women interested in trekking to the Chettri sisters.

"They have started a trend for women to take up this profession. ######

Needed: More Women On The Trails

Twenty years ago, the Chettris had heard from foreign female travelers that they were harassed, even sexually assaulted, by male guides while trekking on remote mountain trails, so they came up with the idea of opening a woman-run trekking agency.

"These girls were really afraid and felt insecure," said Lucky, 48, at their office next to the picturesque Phewa lake.

The sisters had led trips themselves. ###### Their solution was to bring the women to Pokhara and train them for six months.

"At the beginning it was very unusual for the women to join our program because they had to leave their homes for many days, working with Westerners," said Nicky, the youngest of the sisters. "Some thought it was against our culture because women are expected to be at home doing household work.

###### "These women began to like the idea that they don't need to depend on their husbands for money," Nicky said.]]>