Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner facts for kids
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner in July 2015
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Born | 13 December 1970 Kirchdorf an der Krems, Austria |
| Occupation | Mountaineer, speaker, trained nurse |
| Climbing career | |
| Known for | First woman to climb the 14 eight-thousanders in alpine style, without supplemental oxygen or porters |
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was born on December 13, 1970, in Austria. She is a famous mountaineer, which means she is an expert at climbing big mountains. In August 2011, she achieved something amazing: she became the first woman ever to climb all fourteen of the world's highest mountains, known as eight-thousanders, without using extra oxygen or help from high-altitude porters. This is a very difficult and dangerous way to climb. In 2012, she received the important National Geographic Explorer of the Year Award for her incredible achievements.
Contents
Becoming a Mountaineer
Gerlinde became interested in climbing mountains when she was very young. By the time she was 13, she was already doing climbing tours at a local mountain called Sturzhahn. As she trained to become a nurse in Vienna, Austria, she kept practicing her climbing skills. She went on many trips, including skiing, ice climbing, and rock climbing.
When she was 32, Gerlinde climbed her fourth mountain over 8,000 meters, called Nanga Parbat. After this, she decided to become a full-time professional mountaineer. This meant she would spend all her time climbing and exploring mountains.
Climbing the World's Highest Peaks
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is one of only three women who have climbed all fourteen of the world's eight-thousanders. These are mountains that are over 8,000 meters (about 26,247 feet) tall. What makes Gerlinde special is that she is the first woman to officially climb all of them without using extra oxygen. Climbing without oxygen is much harder and more dangerous.
Here are the fourteen eight-thousanders she climbed:
- 1998 – Cho Oyu
- 2001 – Makalu
- 2002 – Manaslu
- 2003 – Nanga Parbat
- 2004 – Annapurna I
- 2004 – Gasherbrum I
- 2005 – Shisha Pangma
- 2005 – Gasherbrum II
- 2006 – Kangchenjunga
- 2007 – Broad Peak
- 2008 – Dhaulagiri
- 2009 – Lhotse
- 2010 – Mount Everest
- 2011 – K2
Challenges on K2
Gerlinde tried to climb K2, one of the most dangerous mountains, six times before she finally succeeded. On August 6, 2010, during one of her attempts on K2, another climber named Fredrik Ericsson joined her. Sadly, Fredrik had a terrible accident and fell. Gerlinde saw what happened and decided to stop her climb that day.
She finally reached the top of K2 on August 23, 2011. This was during her seventh trip to the mountain. National Geographic helped support this expedition and shared the story of her amazing climb up the North Pillar of K2.
Personal Life
In 2007, Gerlinde married her climbing partner, Ralf Dujmovits. They later divorced.
See also
In Spanish: Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner para niños
- List of female adventurers
