"I stayed [on the summit] for about an hour.... It is very cold, naturally, it takes your strength.... Ny position was that i would not be good if I stood around freezing, waiting.... If you are immobile at that altitude you lose strength in the cold, and then you are unable to do anything."

Into thin air
Jon Krakauer

Friday, May 16, 1997

First Woman to Reach the Summit of Mount Everest


On May 16, 1975 Junko Tabei was able to breath fresh mountain air from a height of 8,484 meters. This Japanese climber became the first woman to reach the summit of mount Everest in that day. Her expedition was led by a Sherpa guide. After coming down from the mountain Junko said..."I can't understand why men make all this fuss about Everest--it's only a mountain". The now seventy year old is still addicted to climbing and has reached the peak of all seven peaks. Her accomplishments came 22 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing but are nothing short of amazing even if she does not think so herself.