Oh Eun-Sun Officially Recognized as 1st Woman to Climb the 8,000ers
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
, Posted by Unknown at 5:54 AM
At eight o'clock in the morning on Monday, May 3, Oh Eun-Sun, the South Korean woman who climbed Annapurna a week ago, met with 85-year-old American journalist and mountaineering historian Elizabeth Hawley in Katmandu, Nepal to discuss Oh's disputed ascent of Kangchengjunga last year. As an archivist, Hawley has been keeping records of mountaineering ascents since 1960 and is considered the official arbiter of ascents in the high mountains of Asia.
After carefully interviewing Oh Eun-Sun and asking her about the discrepancies and allegations regarding her ascent of Kangchenjunga, Hawley asked her straight up if she had really climbed all fourteen of the 8,000-meter peaks, the world's highest mountains.
Without hesitation, Oh replied, "Yes, I did."
Satisfied with all Oh's responses, Hawley said, "Congratulations." Thus Oh's record as the first woman to climb the 8,000ers was signed, sealed, and delivered. Let the lectures, endorsements, and photo shows begin.
Elizabeth Hawley told AFP afterward, "Oh will be credited for her climb to Kangchenjunga, but the ascent will be marked as disputed." She said that the record and the climb will remain disputed until Spanish climber and Oh's rival to climb the peaks Edurne Pasaban withdraws her objections and allegations. Pasaban previously said that she would abide by whatever decision Hawley reached after interviewing Oh.
It appears that time is now. Pasaban needs to let it go and get on with climbingShishapangma and become the second woman to climb the elite fourteen peaks. We can also turn our attention to the other women climbing the peaks, including Austrian alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, who needs only two peaks--K2 and Mount Everest--to complete the list. Kaltenbrunner, currently on Everest, would become the first woman to scale the peaks without supplemental oxygen.
Late last week, the Nepal Mountaineering Association recognized Oh Eun-Sun as the first woman to successfully climb the 8,000ers. Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the association, said, "We recognize her achievement as the first woman climber to scale all the highest mountains in the world. We are all happy and proud of her achievement."
Likewise, I offer my congratulations to Miss Oh for her achievement. Climbing any high peak is dangerous and difficult, and while some of the Korean expeditionary tactics are a throwback to the 1960s, she persevered and reached the 14 summits and returned alive.
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