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Edurne Pasaban K2 summit: Vertical limit for real
Jul 30, 2004 17: 04 EST
“It is over! Never, ever am I going to climb again!”. Those were the first words Edurne managed to say, hugging her climbing mates and sobbing. After an epic descent from the summit of K2, she was finally back in BC. Twenty-four hours and some rest later, she seems to be changing her mind: “Although I look like crap, I am happy” she said firmly, according to El Correo Digital. Toes black, IV tubes in her arms, skin burnt and extreme fatigue cannot hide the smile in the face of Edurne Pasabán.
Live to tell
As the pain calms, the fact remains: she made it. She climbed K2 and came back alive. It has also been… “Dangerous. Summit day was sunny, clear, perfect. And I didn’t notice I was freezing; didn’t think of the hours passing.”
Four years ago, Edurne Pasaban (born in the Basque Country Mountains), was completely unknown.
A young girl in her twenties, who just liked to climb with her friends. But the local climbs got bolder and bolder leading to larger expeditions and the highest mountains in the world. Today, she is a living climbing legend; breaking the curse of K2 – no summiteer woman alive.
She has bagged seven 8000’ers in four years, climbing right to the top of the ace female climber’s list. Only Polish Wanda Rutwievicz ever managed to summit more - eight 8000’ers. Wanda was also the first woman who summited K2 and died on Kangchenjunga in 1992.
Edurne made it down from the ‘doomed’ mountain with the summit, but also with a price to pay – frost-bitten toes.
This morning she and Juan Oiarzabal have been airlifted from K2 Base Camp by the Pakistan Army. Edurne is responding well to the first aid treatment by the expedition doctor. Edurne suffer from frostbitten toes, but, as she pointed out yesterday “I am better that expected” considering “The hardest climb I’ve by far ever done.” Her team mate and record-climber Juan Oiarzabal was not only severely frostbitten, but also suffers extreme exhaustion.
Oiarzabal, on the far edge
Dr Kiko Arregui, one of the most experienced Spanish experts in mountain medicine, will care for Edurne’s and Juan treatment. First pictures of Edurne’s toes have been sent to Arregui. According to him, “I felt somehow relieved when I saw the picture. Edurne suffers from frostbite in almost all her toes, but at least the soles are free of damage.” About Juan, the doctor adds: “If he wasn’t rescued on Monday, we wouldn’t be talking of frostbite here, rather maybe of something much worse.”
Juan, 48, has had a real close call on K2. His ‘Al Filo’ team reached the summit very late in the day (4.30 PM) and Juan complained to BC over radio that he was cold and tired. Edurne didn’t make it back to the tent in Camp 4 until late (midnight) assisted by Juan Vallejo. Everybody thought Oiarzabal was just behind, but half an hour later his climbing mates noticed he was missing.
In spite of their hard work for more than 24 hours, they started to climb back up to look for Juan in the early morning. After a two hour search, Ferrán Latorre stumbled upon an almost unconscious Juanito; laying flat on the snow, hardly 100m away from the tents but off the normal climbing route. From that moment, all the climbers in high camps cooperated to help down Juan and Edurne.
The third climber on Earth to summit K2 twice, on many occasions Juanito crossed the limits while descending. As he often says, “I owe my life and my summit of Kangchenjunga to my climbing mates the Iñurrategi brothers, who literally dragged me out of death”.
“Snow-girl” has second thoughts
Only hours after her return to Base camp, the cries and the vows, Edurne shows a different attitude. “There is no doubt. Mountaineering is like an illness. I know that in a couple of months, I’ll be looking for a new summit to climb.”
Perhaps it is her born destiny: In Euskera (the Basque language), her name means “snow.”
Edurne Pasaban was born in Tolosa –Basque Country (Spain)- in 1973. After summiting K2 she has become the top female high altitude climber today, with seven 8000ers to prove it: Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, GII, GI and now K2. Even more surprising, she has accomplished all those climbs in less than four years. She is the only female K2 summiteer alive today.
Image of Edurne arriving at K2 base camp, courtesy of El Correo digital
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