Posted: Sep 10, 2009 11:17 am EST
(MountEverest.net/Madrid) “I'm not attempting a double header," said Edurne Pasaban in a Madrid press conference on Monday.

"After 11 years of Himalayan climbing, I won't push my luck at the end. It would be a major mistake. I’d rather end up second, third or whatever… as long as I live to complete the 14x8000ers.”

The race

Commenting the race, “I think Miss Oh will summit Annapurna and become the first female to summit the 14x8000ers – that’s how things are,” said Edurne.

“I am just sorry for Gerlinde, Nives and - yeah, myself too. We’ve known and respected each other for a long time; we all fought to get funds, time and power for every mountain we climbed. The three of us forged our summits and dreams through the years, each doing it our own way, but all following a logical evolution."

"As for Miss Oh… well, she’s been offered to star in an impressively well-funded project aiming for a world’s record, and she has accepted the role. The prize is a female world’s first – and she is about to win.”

Shisha Pangma

The Basque climber described her upcoming climb:

“I have failed three times on Shisha Pangma and while the weather was bad every time, I also feel I might have underestimated the mountain. In the end, I am kind of stuck with Shisha. This time I'm giving it my full priority and focus, choosing the route and style I consider best.”

Going for Shisha’s south face with Ferran Latorre, Alex Chicon (Txikon in Basque spelling) and Asier Izaguirre, the team will climb the British route in a single push, with no fixed ropes or pre-pitched camps from Scott’s Bivouac (6,200m).

“I can’t wait to be there,” Edurne told ExplorersWeb after the press conference.

“The south face is stunning, and the logistics are so simple… We’ll be in a quiet, beautiful ABC, with no need to worry about rope-fixing agreements, lack of room for high camps, coordinating plans with other expeditions, etc. All we have to do is acclimatize and be ready when weather settles.”

“I picked the route also because it leads straight to Shisha’s main summit. I don’t trust conditions on the normal route – both the ridge from the Central summit and the alternative traverse to the top may be unattainable.”

“In addition, we’ve all been there before, so it's familiar terrain,” Edurne said. “Asier and I attempted it some years ago, while Ferran and Alex actually summited Shisha via this line.”

Edurne will climb with Asier on summit push, while Alex and Ferran will film the ascent in a second rope-team. “Edurne and I are regular climbing mates,” Asier Izaquirre commented. “We will share the lead, pitch by pitch, as on any other climb.”

Edurne Pasaban was born in Tolosa (Spanish Basque Country) in 1973. On September 7, 2009 she set off towards Shisha Pangma (8,027m), her 13th 8000er. Pasaban hopes to complete her 14x8000er project on Annapurna in spring, 2010.

In fall this year, she will climb Shisha via the British route on the South face in light style, teaming up with Asier Izaguirre, Ferran Latorre and Alex Chicon.

At the start of this year, Spanish (Basque) Edurne Pasaban, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Italian Nives Meroi were the three main women in place to become the first females to summit all 8000ers, tied with 11 mountains each. The situation changed when Korean Oh Eun-sun came out of nowhere and summited several peaks in tandem; now claiming only Annapurna left to crown the list.

Many mountaineers object to the 14, 8000ers race - which has claimed lives of both men and women. In addition, while the "first" will receive the biggest fame; some of the women have – out of personal standard - prioritized climbing style and unusual routes before the list, which doesn't account for added difficulty.

In the end, the position of the first woman in the world to summit all 14, 8000ers (Messner was the first male) is likely to go to the one who wants it more (and not necessarily to the one who "deserves" it most.) In any case, all four women represent the foremost female high altitude mountaineers alive today.

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