South Korea’s Oh Eun Sun reaches 13th 8,000-metre summit

SEOUL - South Korean climber Oh Eun Sun became the first woman to climb 13 of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, the national news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday, quoting her sponsor Black Yak.

Oh Eun Sun, 43, Monday summitted the 8,068-metre Gasherbrum in Pakistan, 12 hours after she left Camp 3, Yonhap reported.

“She did not use a respirator, although it was a tough trail through rugged snowy cliffs,” sponsor Black Yak was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Oh has become the first woman to summit 13 mountains of 8,000 metres or more. Austria’s Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, 38, Spain’s Edurne Pasaban, 36, and Italia’s Nives Meroi, 48, have climbed 12 of the 14 highest peaks.

Ashraf Aman, the vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed that Oh had managed to climb the 13th mountain, but added that Kaltenbrunner may very soon share this record with her.

“Gerlinde is today (Tuesday) climbing her 13th peak, which is the 8,611-metre Himalayan peak of K-2, and if she manages to do that, she might join Oh in the record,” he told DPA.

Oh was quoted as saying that the 8,091-metre Annapurna, the only one of the 14 mountains she has not climbed, is her next goal.

She had postponed her climb to mourn the death of her rival Ko Mi-Young.

Oh is due to return home in mid-August and decide whether to tackle Annapurna this autumn or next spring, the Black Yak clothing company was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

In 1999, South Korean Ji Hyung Ok died while descending after summitting Annapurna. Oh and Ko had promised to attempt Annapurna together on the 10th anniversary of Ji’s death.