Vanessa O'Brien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanessa O'Brien
Vanessa O'Brien in 2015
Nationality	British and American
Alma mater	New York University Stern School of Business

Vanessa O'Brien is an amazing British and American adventurer. She is known for climbing huge mountains, exploring deep parts of the ocean, and even traveling into space! In 2020, Vanessa became the first woman to reach both the highest point on Earth (Mount Everest) and the deepest point in the ocean (Challenger Deep). She is also a special member of important exploration groups like the Royal Geographical Society.

Vanessa's Early Life and Education

Vanessa O'Brien studied economics at New York University Stern School of Business. She also earned an advanced business degree there. In 2021, she was even named one of the top 10 most famous MBA graduates from NYU Stern. Before becoming a full-time explorer, Vanessa worked in finance. She held important roles at big banks like Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.

Amazing Expeditions and Adventures

Vanessa O'Brien loves to explore! She has climbed many famous mountains around the world.

Conquering Tall Mountains

Vanessa has reached the top of five of the world's fourteen highest mountains. These are mountains over 8,000 meters (about 26,000 feet) tall. Some of these include Mount Everest, K2, and Manaslu. She even climbed two of these giant mountains, Shishapangma and Cho Oyu, just eight days apart!

Vanessa decided to take her love for climbing even further. She set a goal to complete the Explorers Grand Slam. This huge challenge means reaching the highest peak on all seven continents. It also means traveling to both the North and South Poles.

Exploring the Deepest Ocean

In 2020, Vanessa joined an expedition to the Pacific Ocean. This trip was called the Ring of Fire expedition. Its goal was to map the very bottom of the Challenger Deep. This is the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans.

On June 12, 2020, Vanessa and explorer Victor Vescovo went down into the "Eastern Pool" of Challenger Deep. They spent three hours mapping the ocean floor. They discovered that the bottom was not flat, as many thought. Instead, it was sloping.

Traveling to Space

Vanessa O'Brien also flew into space! On August 4, 2022, she was part of the Blue Origin NS-22 mission. This was a sub-orbital spaceflight, meaning it went just to the edge of space. She flew with five other people, including Coby Cotton and Sara Sabry.

The crew traveled to a height of 107 kilometers (about 66 miles) above sea level. They reached speeds of over 3,600 kilometers per hour (2,200 mph). The entire flight lasted about 10 minutes and 20 seconds. Vanessa carried the UN Women's flag with her into space. After this flight, she became the first woman to complete the Explorers' Extreme Trifecta. This means she reached extremes on land (mountains), sea (ocean deep), and air (space).

Helping Others

Vanessa also uses her adventures to help others. In 2013, she took the American Red Cross flag to the North Pole. In 2017, she ran the Boston Marathon. She helped the American Red Cross raise over $512,000 for charity.

Amazing World Records

Vanessa O'Brien holds several impressive world records!

Fastest Seven Summits

She set a Guinness World Record for climbing the highest peak on every continent. She did this in just 295 days, which was the fastest time ever for a woman.

Explorers Grand Slam Record

Vanessa also skied the last 111 kilometers (60 nautical miles) to both the South Pole and North Pole. This completed her Explorers Grand Slam in just 11 months. She was the first woman to do this in under a year. She was also only the eighth woman in the world to achieve this incredible feat.

First Woman to Climb K2

In July 2017, Vanessa made history on K2. K2 is known as the "Savage Mountain" because it is so dangerous. She became the first American woman to climb K2. She was also the first British woman to climb K2 and return safely. Vanessa successfully led a team of 12 people to the summit and back. She was 52 years old when she climbed K2. This made her the oldest woman to reach the summit of this challenging mountain.

See Also

• Seven Summits
• Explorers Grand Slam
• List of people who descended to Challenger Deep