SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — For any professional mountaineer, climbing the 14 highest peaks in the world is referred to as the “ultimate mountaineering challenge.” As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognize Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, the only female mountaineer to complete this challenge without the use of supplemental oxygen.
It is safe to say that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is not afraid of heights. As a professional mountaineer, her specialty is climbing peaks over 26,000 feet high.
“You have this big goal to climb those big, beautiful, powerful mountains that are quite challenging because of the height and the difficulties,” she said.
Kaltenbrunner, who is a former nurse, enjoys the remoteness of the mountains, the challenges and the lack of luxuries.
“I like to do challenging things as I can feel my body even better, and I’m totally in a very present moment all the time,” she explained.
Kaltenbrunner has conquered the 14 highest peaks around the world.
“There are 14 8,000 meter peaks, mostly located in Nepal, in Pakistan, and one is located in Tibet. I know I wanted to achieve this, and I stayed totally focused, and I visualized a lot before I started those challenges,” Kaltenbrunner said.
Her feats are inspirational, as she became just the second woman ever to climb the 14 highest peaks and the first to do so without the aid of supplemental oxygen.
“It was important to do it without bottled oxygen, and so I became the first, but it wasn’t my main focus. My main focus was to climb with my own strength and with my teammates, all without the support of bottled oxygen,” she said.
Among the peaks she has climbed is the most famous of all: Mount Everest.
“When I reached the top of Mount Everest, I was speechless, and it was breathtaking, and as I mentioned before, I was just grateful I was able to fulfill my dream,” she said.
While Kaltenbrunner has climbed Mount Everest, she found K-2 in Pakistan to be more challenging due to the steeper routes.
