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The day that K2 surrendered to Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

The day that K2 surrendered to Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

K2 is, as we all know, a mountain that has haunted climbers since the first expedition attempts. “The savage mountain”, has always resisted as if no man was allowed to enter it’s domain. Human tragedy is deeply rooted in it’s image, forcing climbers to take every little event into serious consideration: You just do not fool around with the BIG SCARY BROWNIE.

In the April issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2012, a brilliant article describes the International Amical Alpin climb of this big pile of rock and ice. Rightly they based the assent from the North side (North pillar), properly offering more stable conditions.

Naturally one could look at this climb, as the last in the line of Gerlindes 14 non ox climbs. It is, but it’s also a bit more: This climb represent a human manifestation of outmost will, determination, faith and profound trust. Confronted by this, K2 opened up the closed door and offered 15min to Gerlinde alone on top. No wind, Sun down light from a clear blue sky and surrounded below by all the 8000 she had formerly climbed in the area. An alpine blessing on her final 8000.

READ THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC K2 ARTICLE HERE

Once again K2 has spoken……but this time using a sweet language.

 

Meet the Kaiser and his highly respectable Kaiserin

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Mr Ralf Dujmovits & Mrs Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner | ISPO WINTER 2012

Old friendships are important, so I had the pleasure to meet with Ralf Dujmovits who introduced me to his new wife Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner at the 2012 winter ISPO show in Munich. Ralf reached his last 8000m peak (Lhotse) in 2009 and became the first German on the 14 8000 and number 16 in the line:

1989 — Nuptse NW ridge
1996 — Nuptse Northpillar
1990 — Dhaulagiri
1992 — Mt Everest (supplemental oxygen)
1993 — Baruntse
1994 — K2
1995 — Cho Oyu
1998 — Cho Oyu
1996 — Shisha Pangma
1997 — Shisha Pangma
1999 — Broad Peak
2000 — Gasherbrum II
2001 — Nanga Parbat
2009 — Lhotse

Ralf is a strong and dedicated DAV Guide, and his record contains numerous successful expeditions, guiding clients to a 8000m summit. A true pillar in German High Altitude climbing, and a great man.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is a Austrian climber, out of the “old school”, extremely attached and sensitive to the notion of “The mountain”. August 2011 Gerlinde and Ralf engaged a climb of the Japanese route of the North Pillar of K2. Here Gerlinde summited her final 8000m peak and became the first woman to complete the 8000m without supplemental oxygen:

1998 — Cho Oyu,
2001 — Makalu,
2002 — Manaslu,
2003 — Nanga Parbat,
2004 — Annapurna I,
2004 — Gasherbrum I,
2005 — Shisha Pangma,
2005 — Gasherbrum II,
2006 — Kangchenjunga,
2007 — Broad Peak,
2008 — Dhaulagiri,
2009 — Lhotse,
2010 — Mount Everest,
2011 — K2.

A full report of the K2 climb 2011, will be published in a 32 page report in NATIONAL GEOGRAFIC, translated and published worldwide, and due to appear in April 2012.

Ms Oh Eun Sun’s way to the 14 8000m peaks | ISPO WINTER 2012

Ms Oh Eun Sun’s way to the 14 8000m peaks | ISPO WINTER 2012

07.17.1997: Gasherbrun II 8.035m.
05.20.2004:  Everest 8.848m (Supplemental Ox).
10.13.2006: Shishapangma 8.046m.
05.08.2007: Cho Oyu 8.201m.
07.20.2007: K2 8.611m ( Supplemental Ox).
05.13.2008: Makalu 8.463m.
05.26.2008: Lhotse 8.516m.
07.31.2008: Broad Peak 8.047m.
10.12.2008: Manaslu 8.163m.
05.06.2009: Kangchenjunga 8.563m.
05.21.2009: Dhaulagiri 8.167m.
07.11.2009: Nanga Parbat 8.126m.
08.03.2009: Gasherbrun I 8.068m.
04.27.2010: Annapurna 8.091m.

Gerlinde and Ralf – straight from K2 to ‘das aktuelle Sportstudio’


For English subtitles please click the cc button on the navigation bar
Translated by Ms Billi Bierlinghttp://www.billibierling.com/

Austrian mountaineer, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, has just become the first woman to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen. She finished this amazing feat with an impressive climb up K2 using a different, and not very often climbed route – the North Pillar. Gerlinde and her husband, Ralf Dujmovits, were climbing with a team of four other mountaineers and during their expedition they had to overcome extreme difficulties. They had to deal with avalanches, rock fall and breaking trail through hip-deep snow at dizzying altitudes above 8,000m. On 23 August at 6.18pm, Gerlinde together with three other climbers, stood on top of the second highest peak in the world and with this achievement, she certainly wrote mountaineering history.

After having been on the mountain for more than two-and-a-half months, the couple arrived in Germany on Saturday, 3rd September and instead of getting a rest at home, Ralf and Gerlinde went straight to ‘das aktuelle Sportstudio’ to share their remarkable experience.

26 August 2011 – Summit Photos – International K2 Expedition

Photograph © Maxut Zhumayev/National Geographic - Austrian alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner cheers on reaching the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. By reaching the top, she became the first woman in the world to summit all 14 of Earth's highest peaks without using supplementary oxygen.

Photograph © Maxut Zhumayev/National Geographic – Austrian alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner cheers on reaching the summit of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain. By reaching the top, she became the first woman in the world to summit all 14 of Earth’s highest peaks without using supplementary oxygen.

26 August 2011 -Summit Photos

Gerlinde and Ralf, Maxut, Vassiliy, Darek and Tommy had a very long day yesterday as they went all the way down to Chinese Base Camp, where they arrived late and exhausted.

But before they switched off the base camp lights, they were able to send as the summit photos we have so eagerly been waiting for!

Warm regards and have a great weekend!

 

     

 

The home team of Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Ralf Dujmovits
© TEXT G.Kaltenbrunner/R.Dujmovits ; TRANSLATION: Billi Bierling

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