Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and husband Ralf Dujmovits in spring this year. Image by D. Göttler courtesy of Gerlinde's website (click to enlarge).
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Spring 2010 Everest preview: Kaltenbrunner & Dujmovits
Posted: Nov 23, 2009 09:15 am EST
(MountEverest.net) Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and husband Ralf Dujmovits are aiming for Everest north face next spring, according to local media.
Ralf and Gerlinde, together with regular mate Hirotaka Takeuchi, attempted the Supercouloir on Everest north side back in 2005. The climb was aborted when Hiro showed symptoms of HACE.
“I’ve been dreaming of Everest’s north face since I stood at its base back in 2005 – I just wanted to return there with my husband again,” Gerlinde told Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Friday. “Everest south side is too crowded, and most climbers there are on supplementary O2 – I’d rather avoid that side of the mountain,” Gerlinde told media after a lecture at Salzburg’s Film Festival.
The "inexistent race"
Ralf bagged his 14th 8000er on Lhotse in spring this year with Gerlinde. This time he hopes to summit Everest without supplementary O2.
The peak would mark Gerl’s 13th 8000er. With just Everest and K2 to go, Gerlinde said, ”I would be happy if Miss Oh summited Annapurna, so I could forget about that inexistent competition everybody keep asking me about! I don’t want to be the first, I am not giving it a thought: I just want to climb beautiful mountains via beautiful routes – such as Everest’s north face.”
As for other 2010 plans: “I’d rather focus completely on Everest until I’m done with it. Just in case though, I’ll be applying for a K2 climbing permit anyway,” Gerl was quoted by Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
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