Renowned US ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, who died in the Himalayas a week ago, was cremated on Sunday in a Buddhist ceremony in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Fellow climbers have been telling the BBC how she was an inspirational figure to a generation of women.
In 2012 Hilaree Nelson became the first woman to climb Everest (8,849m; 29,032 feet) and its neighbour, Lhotse (8,516m), within 24 hours. Six years later she was back on Lhotse, and she and her partner, Jim Morrison, became the first to ski down the mountain.
On Monday 26 September, the couple were skiing down another Himalayan mountain, Manaslu (8,163m), when they triggered an avalanche that swept Hilaree Nelson over a cliff to her death, at the age of 49.
Many of those paying tribute to her have noted that she was the equal of any male climber.
"She was doing things with top male mountain athletes, side by side," said Dave Watson, an international mountain guide who was on Mt Manaslu with Nelson and Morrison, before the couple left to climb to the summit.
"Her efforts were erasing the label of 'first male'/ 'first female' - it was 'first person'.
"She was a ground-breaking mountain sports athlete, and she did it with grace and a big smile. Hilaree's influence cannot be overstated."
Dave Watson, who was on Manaslu with Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison before they left for the summit, says he decided to stay put at camp three, because there were strong winds and a risk of avalanches.
In fact, on the same day that the couple reached the summit there was another avalanche that killed one Sherpa and injured more than a dozen other climbers.
Jim Morrison got down safely, though, after seeing Hilaree Nelson swept away, and was one of those who found her body on Wednesday.
The outpouring of grief seen among the mountaineering community is a sign of how badly it has been rocked by her death, Ms Bierling says.
"She was a loving and a committed mother of two beautiful children.
"But by the same token, she fulfilled her dreams and she was beautiful and always very humble."