Pem grew up in Chyangba, Nepal, a remote farming village in the high Himalaya in the Eastern region of Nepal. To help support his family, he left home at age twelve to work as a porter in Namche Bazaar, the hub of Everest’s trekking and climbing activity. After working his way up the ranks, he summited Everest for the first time in 2004 as a porter with Peak Promotion, a local trekking, guiding, and filming company.

In 2005, Pem summited a second time alongside his two teammates on the Rotary Nepal Centennial Everest Expedition. At the summit, he married his climbing partner, Moni Mulepati, in a surprise ceremony at the top of the world, putting them in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 2008 Pem became a US citizen. He now resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Moni and their two girls, where he and Moni own and operate a Michigan-based trekking and mountaineering company, Imperial Expedition, and The Himalayan Bazaar, a local fair-trades store.

Pem is certified as a Trekking and Mountaineering Guide by the Nepal government and has over 30 years of mountaineering and guiding experience in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. In 2007, with a client, he hiked the 3,100 mile section of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail between Mexico & Canada. He is an active member of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), American Alpine Club, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Everest Summiteers Association, the Ann Arbor Regional Ypsilanti Chamber, and Main Street Business Association.

Pem’s passion for Nepal, trekking, and guiding still runs strong. He is a board member of the Tsering’s Fund, a non-profit organization that aids underprivileged children across remote areas of Nepal. Every October, with several volunteers, he guides Hero Camp, a leadership program for underprivileged girls. Pem has helped raise money for important projects in Chyangba village, including installing a hydroelectric power station for potable water, smokeless stoves, rebuilding the Chyangba school after the 2015 earthquake, and the Wongchu Sherpa Memorial Hospital project.

Pem is also a motivational speaker. He has spoken at hundreds of Rotary Events and schools across the U.S., was a keynote speaker for American Airlines, Google, Secret Knock, TEDx. He holds memberships in the following organizations: the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Everest Summiteer Association, Trekking Association of Nepal, Climbing Guide Association and American Alpine Club, and has been active in Rotary groups in Michigan and Nepal.