At the age of 21, Stacy Allison attempted her first major climb, Mt. Huntington in Alaska. Her climbing partner broke his ice ax only 200 feet from the top and they turned around. Although she did not summit, it was at that point that the undaunted desire to climb big mountains began in earnest. The following year, Allison did reach the top of Mt. McKinley, and was part of the first successful women's ascent of Ama Dablam, the 22,495 foot peak known as Nepal's Matterhorn. While far from minor, Allison saw these accomplishments as part of the groundwork that would enable her to scale more challenging mountains.

Her first time as a member of the North Face American Mt. Everest Expedition, Allison did not summit. Turning back can be the most difficult decision of all, particularly when the effort represents the consummation of a lifetime of dedication and hard work. Allison reflects, "If you see yourself as trying to beat the mountain, eventually the mountain will win. You don't conquer mountains, you cooperate with them." Allison returned to Mt. Everest with the Northwest American Everest Expedition, and on September 29, 1988, after twenty nine days on the mountain, she became the first American woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain at 29,028 feet.