Until just 22 years ago, no human being had managed to climb the 14 highest peaks on the planet. It was the October 16, 1986 when Reinhold Messner, regarded by many as the best Himalayan all time, completed the ascent to the fourteen eight-thousands without using oxygen and in traditional style. Today, only 14 men have managed to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world. By contrast, no woman has achieved this goal at the moment, although three are close to overcoming this challenge: Edurne Pasabán, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Nives Meroi. All of them still have three peaks to ascend. The Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has the Kangchenjunga, K2 and Shishapagma. To the Italian Nives Meroi, the remaining ones are the Kangchenjunga, Annapurna and Makalu. And to the Spanish Edurne Pasabán, the Kangchenjunga, Annapurna I and Shishapangma. From this blog, I wish the best to the three of them and that their dreams will be soon fulfilled.
Edurne Pasabán Lizarribar was born on August 1, 1973 in Tolosa (Guipúzcoa), Spain. She is technical industrial engineer and has an MBA by the ESADE Business School in Barcelona. She worked for several years in the company of her family, dedicated to building machinery. At present, she's director of a restaurant/country house in the Basque town of Zizurkil. In addition, acts as a consultant and lecturer for different companies in the field of motivation, planning and teamwork, using the knowledge and experience acquired by the extreme situations lived in her expeditions to the Himalayas.
Her fondness for the mountains comes from a very young age. In 1989, when she was 16, traveled to the Alps for the first time, where she did the Mont Blanc (4,810 m - 15,781 feet), Matterhorn (4,478 m - 14,692 feet) and Monte Rosa (4,614 m - 15,138 feet). At the age of 17, she reached the summit of Chimborazo (6,310 m - 20,702 feet) in the Andes. Since then, she has proved to have the necessary physical and mental abilities to perform these complex and dangerous expeditions.
Her fondness for the mountains comes from a very young age. In 1989, when she was 16, traveled to the Alps for the first time, where she did the Mont Blanc (4,810 m - 15,781 feet), Matterhorn (4,478 m - 14,692 feet) and Monte Rosa (4,614 m - 15,138 feet). At the age of 17, she reached the summit of Chimborazo (6,310 m - 20,702 feet) in the Andes. Since then, she has proved to have the necessary physical and mental abilities to perform these complex and dangerous expeditions.
In 2001, Edurne conducted her first major climb, reaching the summit of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest (8,848 m - 29,029 feet) and thereby initiating the Himalayan ascents. In the spring of next year, 2002, rose the top of Makalu (8,463 m - 27,766 feet), and in the autumn of that year, the Cho-Oyu (8,201 m - 26,906 feet). In 2003, again in the spring, she climbed Lhotse (8,516 m - 27,940 feet), and in late July, and in 7 days, reached the summit of Gasherbrum II (8,035 m - 26,362 feet) and Hidden Peak (8,068 m - 26,470 feet), also known as Gasherbrum I. In July 2004, she succeeded in crowning the top of the second world's highest mountain, K2 (8,611 m - 28,251 feet) and staying alive, thus breaking the curse that seemed to pursue her predecessors, since all women who had reached the summit of K2 so far, have died on its descent or climbing other eight-thousands. The conquest of this mountain had a high price for Edurne, as it cost the amputation of two of her toes' phalanges by freezing. The price was even higher for his fellow of expedition Juanito Oiarzabal (best Spanish alpinist of all time) because it involved the amputation of almost all his toes. Despite these injuries, Edurne climbed up the Nanga Parbat (8,125 m - 26,657 feet) in July 2005, and the Broad Peak (8,047 m - 26,401 feet) in the summer of 2007. In May 2008, she topped the Dhaulagiri (8,167 m - 26,795 feet) together with the Ecuadorian Ivan Vallejo Ricaurte, who achieved with this ascension his dream of reaching the summit of the 14 highest peaks in the world. The last eight-thousand conquered by Edurne was the Manaslu (8,163 m - 26,781 feet) at the beginning of October 2008.
Edurne is currently preparing her next expedition, with the aim of conquering the Kangchenjunga (8,568 m - 28,110 feet), the third highest mountain in the world. Of this, she would only have two more peaks to conquer, the Annapurna (8,019 m - 26,309 feet) and Shisha Pangma (8,046 m - 26,398 feet). Perhaps at that time Edurne Pasabán will become the first woman in the world that reaches the 14 eight-thousands, the 14 highest summits on the planet. Hopefully she will do, and that in the meantime, the Mother Goddess of the World will protect her in her way.
This is a video of Edurne on the summit of Broad Peak (8,047 m - 26,401 feet) in July 2007:
This is a video of Edurne on the summit of Broad Peak (8,047 m - 26,401 feet) in July 2007:
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