Image captured by Vassiliy Pivtsov
Crankin' Cubes of Climbing: 2012's Dynamic Duo of Daring
By Shreddin' Scott
For a hot minute, the mountaineering world was still as a windswept frigid tundra, when out of the blue, our daredevil editors, joined by the lush spirits of Glenfiddich, dropped a bombshell list of adrenaline junkies kickin' it up a notch in the realm of adventure.
Hold onto yer hats and goggles, folks, as we introduce you to the 2012 Adventurers of the Year! Vote for your favorite from now until the 18th of January, and decide who'll take home the People's Choice Award.
Let's dive right in, shall we?
Gerlinde the Gargantuan: The Eight-Thousander Extraordinaire
By Summit Chaser Smith
It was a somber summer in '10 when Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, an Austrian powerhouse of determination, perched upon K2's infamous Bottleneck couloir, a mere 400 meters from the peak's summit. Her husband, Ralf Dujmovits, who was huddled at base camp, eagerly listened as Gerlinde's voice crackled through the radio, her emotion clear as day. Moments before, her partner, the daring ski mountaineer Fredrik Ericsson, had slipped while unroped, hurtling past Gerlinde before tumbling to his death.
Gerlinde promptly abandoned her ascent attempt, turning her focus towards scouring the mountain for her fallen friend. This marked her fifth unsuccessful attempt on K2, the last peak standing between Gerlinde and her dream: becoming the first woman to scale all 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen or porters.
In 2011, Gerlinde returned to K2, this time avoiding the chaotic Bottleneck where 11 climbers perished in '08. At 6:18 p.m. local time on August 23, Gerlinde reached the summit. "I had a view unlike any other," explains the 40-year-old Austrian. "There were no clouds, I could see to Nanga Parbat. I felt like I was one with the universe, an emotion still present in my heart."
Gerlinde's fascination with the highest peaks ignited when she was a sprightly 20-something. At 23, she made a valiant attempt at 8,027 meters but missed the summit of Broad Peak, a mountain located on the Pakistan-China border that sparked her ambition to scale all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters. In '98, Kaltenbrunner, a professional climber who trains year-round, bagged her first summit, Cho Oyu, and embarked on a mission to climb the rest, often joining peaks in a single year. She was known for her calculated patience.
On K2 in 2012, the memories of a misstep lingered. "Twenty or thirty meters below K2's summit, you can look down and see the Bottleneck," shares Kaltenbrunner. "It felt like Fredrik was near. He was with us, in a good way."
[Read the Interview]
[Vote for Gerlinde]
[Meet the Thrill-Seekers]
- our website: Expeditions
- Journey with us: Search Trips
- Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner's extraordinary expedition to K2 in 2011, a journey marked by tragedy and triumph, highlighted her dedication to exploration and conservation of the mountains.
- As the first woman to aim for climbing all 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of bottled oxygen or porters, Gerlinde's travel and adventure story is a testament to sportsmanship and perseverance.
- Gerlinde's adventure to scale the highest peaks, starting with her first summit at Cho Oyu in 1998, encapsulates the spirit of exploration and sets an inspiring example for future expeditions.
