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ExWeb tribute to the Women of K2 - Eva Zarzuelo: She dances alone
Jun 30, 2004 12: 15 EST
People who know her says that she is a tough, determined woman. They say she is amazingly strong, both mentally and physically. But they won’t tell you much more. Eva simply refuses to talk about herself, most of all if you are a journalist. She doesn’t like the media show. She doesn’t need it. She has always paid for her expeditions from her own incomes. A Geologist graduate, she survives mostly on odd, seasonal jobs. She saves up, and then she goes. She has no sponsors, no commitments, nothing to prove. She climbs strictly for herself. Now Eva is on K2, ready to climb all the way to the summit.
This 32 years old Spanish woman was born in Oviedo, a green, lush land enclosed between the wild Cantábrico Sea (Northern Atlantic) and the limestone sharp peaks of Picos de Europa. Some time ago she moved to Benasque (Central Spanish Pyrenees), a small village in a hidden valley surrounded by mountains, which has become a refuge for climbers and skiers from all of Spain and southern France –Jordi Tosas and Jordi Corominas, from the Magic Line team to K2, among others.
She’s not joining her neighbors for her K2 adventure, however. She has joined an international team to get her to Base Camp, and once there, she will trust her own capacities. Some days ago she asked Juanito Oiarzabal, from the ‘Al Filo’ team, to join them during the climb to Camp I in the Abruzzi. It seems that she is focused not on her climbing mates, but on the summit, no matter who might be climbing ahead - or behind - her.
It is her first time on K2, but not in the Karakorum, nor in 8000+ peaks. Back in 2001 she made it to the summit of Nanga Parbat (8035m), via the Kinshofer route, along with Ralf Djumovits and Hirotaka, as part of an Amical expedition. In 2002, she went to Garwhal Himalayas, in India, and climbed the beautifully shaped Shivling, along with a group of friends from Benasque (no others than the ‘Jordis’ were leading the team). Before the Himalayas, she had climbed Khan Tengri (7010m) in the Tien Shan, Alpamayo (5947m) and Huascarán(6768m) in Andes.
Then last year came the Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak). Yes, she made it to the summit, on July7. But there would be no celebration back in base camp. Two team members disappeared on the descent: an Argentinean lady climber, Nancy Silvestrini, and Manuel Buenaga, a Benasque resident, also climbing partner back in Shivling. The media quickly picked up the tragic news: right of information for some, another reason to hate the press, for others.
Eva kept her opinions to herself and her friends at home and made no comments. Not a single word of her has been published on her current project, now developing in K2. If she summits, we will know by official accounts, and comments from other teams. She won’t run to tell us, that´s for sure. And she’s got the right to remain silent. As a matter of fact, wasn’t precisely that the essence of mountaineering, an affair between the climber and the mountain? Yeah; from that point of view, it is none of our business. Just let us wish you good luck, Eva.
Image of Eva, Ralf and Hajo on the summit of Nanga Parbat; Eva out of climbing uniform; and Eva hugging Theresia Koch on the summit of Nanga Parbat courtesy of Amical.de
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