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Remembering Wanda
11:40 a.m. EST Feb 5, 2004
Feb 4, 2004
Wanda Rutkiewicz would have turned 61 today. Her first 8000m success was Mount Everest in 1978 and by 1991, she had already completed 8 of the world’s 14, 8000m peaks, including – K2, Annapurna, Shisha Pangma, Everest, Gasherbrum I and II, Cho Oyu, and Nanga Parbat. She summited some of the most difficult and dangerous of the 14 – Wanda was a very strong climber.
Earlier on in her climbing career, Wanda made the highest first-ascent by a woman when she summited Gasherbrum III, 7952m, in 1975.
Her life ended tragically in 1992 when she disappeared while attempting to climb Kangchenjunga – she was last seen high on the mountain at 8200m. Wanda was one of the best woman mountaineers ever and still has the record for the most 8000ers by a woman.
In her foosteps this year are Spanish Edurne Pasaban and Italian Nives Meroi who will attempt K2 from opposite sides.
On June 23, Polish Wanda became first woman to summit K2. Another woman, French Liliane Barrard summited very shortly thereafter, and became the second. Neither women used bottled oxygen. Tragically, Liliane Barrard was also the first woman to die on K2, falling on her descent. Since then, of the five women who have summited K2, all are no longer living – either dying while descending or on subsequent expeditions, such as Wanda.
ExplorersWeb archive image.
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