“I love Pakistan’s people more than its mountains’Guinness World Record holder ”Queen of Mountains” By,Asghar Ali Mubarak

“I love Pakistan’s people more than its mountains’Guinness World Record holder ”Queen of Mountains”
By,Asghar Ali Mubarak

Islamabad; The Queen of Mountains American-British female mountaineer,Vanessa O’Brien a Guinness World Record holder stated that the warmth and love she received in Pakistan was matchless.”I love Pakistan’s people more than its mountains. ” Vanessa told media in a news conference at a local hotel. She said she found Pakistani people loving and caring.Vanessa O’Brien, a 52-year-old ex-Morgan Stanley banker from New York, reached Islamabad on Tuesday where she briefed media about her journey of climbing K2– which is considered one of the world’s most dangerous peaks– the world’s second highest mountain at 28,251 feet. O’Brien said that she believed in guardian angels and those angels helped her in scaling K2. After three desperate unsuccessful attempts at the dangerous mountain in 2015 and 2016, she became the first American woman to summit Pakistan’s K2 on July 28, 2017. Reportedly, she failed to scale K2 because of bad weather. O’Brien is the 20th woman to reach the top of K2. She expressed that those people that painstakingly followed her Garmin tracking device or even periodically checked in during those 16 hours to the summit sent just enough goodwill to make sure our journey was a success.“There was so much positive energy,” she said.She described the bad weather conditions she had faced, including winds, high precipitation and low temperatures.While describing the harsh conditions she had to face, she said, “It was July 27 and we were at camp four. 12 of us left around 11 pm. The snow was incredibly deep. So in some cases, we were breaking trail, which took us longer. Unfortunately, there was fresh powdery snow, while we were walking uphill, there were also situations where you took one step forward, and you slipped slightly – thereby having to take another step to get back in place – two steps for every time,” she said.She said that as she climbed up there was a massive ice serac showing signs of erosion; it loomed above threatening to fall as you climb up.“Once you reach this ice serac, you get to the bottleneck traverse on ice that is frozen solid and extremely slippery. Once you make it across the traverse you start your ascent towards the summit ridge through deep snow and eventually you’ll find you cannot walk anymore. Besides, what is underneath your feet – be it ice or deep snow – you have the wind gusting at 50 km propelling snow on your face. So, this often blinded us or fogged up our glasses or goggles, and this was happening throughout the climb both up the bottleneck couloir and across the ice traverse,” she explained.She said that this time she knew she could do it because she was willing to take the additional risk and the whole team was very supportive as we all made sure that each member was comfortable in hostile weather.In addition to O’Brien, an Explorers Club member, 11 other persons summit-ed. The clients were John Snorri Sigur jonsson, the first Icelander to climb K2, and three Chinese climbers – Zhang Liang, Jing Xue and Azong.The seven Sherpas who topped out were Mingma Gyalje, Dawa Gyalje Sherpa, Tsering Pemba Sherpa, Nima Nuru Sherpa, Lakpa Nuru Sherpa, Nima Tshering Sherpa and Ang Tsering Sherpa.She said that she was extremely proud of the whole team for their dedication, perseverance, bravery, and commitment to reaching the summit of K2 and to take the additional risk.“We suffered no loss, no frostbite, no accidents,” she maintained.She went on to say, “In 2016, she solicited help from Pakistan Air Force Major Shoaib and Fight Lieutenant Rahim as well as Di Gilbert, the leader of the 2016 K2 British Team, to identify how many of the 84 climbers that lost their lives on K2 had memorial plaques, and have been succeeded to identify 20 plaques across 13 nationalities.”She succeeded to identify plaques of: Muhammad Ali, Pakistan, 1986, Juan Apellaniz, Spain, 1994, Rolf Bae, Norway, 2008, Igor Benkin, Russia, 1996, Daniel Culver, Canada, 1993, Javier Escartin, Spain, 1995, Michelle Fait, Italy, 2009, Klaus-Dieter Grohs, Germany, 2003, Alfred Imitzer, Austria, 1986, Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistan, 2002, Reinmar Joswing, Germany, 1993, Ali Kazim, Pakistan, 1979, Peter Mezger, Germany, 1993, Nima Nuru [Nima Norbu], Nepal, 2007, Alan Rouse, UK, 1986, Hannes Wieser, Austria, 1986, Wojciech Wroz, Poland, 1986, and Yukihiro Yanagisawa, Japan, 1982.O’Brien climbed Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,035 feet, in 2012 en route to becoming the then-fastest woman to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on each continent – plus ski the last degree to the North and South Poles, doing all in just 11 months.“It is said when you climb Everest, you are a mountaineer in the eyes of the world, but when you climb K2 you are a mountaineer in the eyes of other climbers,” said O’Brien before her climb. “K2 fascinates me because while it is not quite as high as Everest, it is technically more challenging with exposed rock, steeper terrain and higher avalanche risk.”, she had talked about the difficulty of K2 statistically, how less than 400 people have summited K2and even for every 5 that summit K2, one dies.This compares to Mount Everest where over 7,500 people have summited that mountain. As far as women who have climbed K2, I am officially 20th women to climb K2, just a speck compared to Everest’s 489 women.She believes one should set their sights high, announce their intentions, ask for help, learn from their mistakes, believe in guardian angels, and not let others tell you it’s over until you say it’s over.She said she would prefer to do something for Pakistan and its youth.The Queen of Mountains American-British female mountaineer said “I love Pakistan, its people and will like to travel again,” the 52-year old, who carried flags of both the US and Pakistan atop the mountain said.Vanessa O’Brien said there were so many opportunities in Pakistan, adding it needed support in various sectors and she would like to do something for this country.Queen of Mountains American-British female mountaineer Vanessa, who had already ascended Mount Everest and other top peaks around the globe, said technically K2 was more difficult peak than Everest.”Less than 400 people have climbed K2 and one out of five died while attempting to summit the mountain. As many as 7,600 people have scaled Everest. ” To a question she said women should try to come forward and do something different.”As far as women, who have climbed K2, I’m officially the 20th to climb K2, just a speck compared to Everest’s 489 women,” she said.Vanessa’s K2 team was comprised climbers from China, Norway, Scotland, Pakistan and Nepal.She appreciated her team members saying, “I’m extremely proud of this team for their dedication, perseverance, bravery and commitment to reach the summit of K2 and to take additional risk.”They should try new things. And I believe they are capable of doing anything. “But they also need the support and backing of men.Men should be forthcoming. Their support can help women achieve their goals,” she said.”I believe one should set their sights high, announce their intentions, ask for help, learn from their mistakes, believe in guardian angels and not let others tell you it’s over until you say it’s over.”Pivot outside your comfort zone, to try something new, knowing that you have safety net of accumulated knowledge, skills and experience that no one can take away from you,” Vanessa O’Brien said. Guinness World Record holder for doing so in 295 days, setting a record for the fastest time a woman first achieved this goal. Vanessa Audi Rhys O’Brien, is a British-American mountain climber, explorer, public speaker and former business executive. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of The Explorers Club.She has climbed the highest peak on every continent and has a Guinness World Record for doing so in 295 days, setting a record for the fastest time a woman first achieved this goal. Vanessa has also skied the last 60 nautical miles or 111 km to the South Pole and North Pole completing the Explorers Grand Slam in 11 months,becoming the first woman to do so in under a calendar year and the 8th woman in the world to accomplish this. Vanessa has also successfully completed the Boston Marathon running 26.2 miles; helping the American Red Cross raise over $512,000 for charity.In a interview Vanessa O’Brien discussed her recent ascent of K2, becoming the first American woman to do so. Here we probe O’Brien for more, including the differences between climbing Everest and K2, what’s next for her and her thoughts while on K2’s summit.It means a lot to me, personally, in mountaineering to achieve something like this. And it didn’t come easy. I had to work for it – three overall years of my life [2015, 2016, 2017] and almost six months sitting on a glacier [two months each year] studying the mountain . It took an incredible amount of planning, patience, perseverance and, ultimately, risk. A particularly proud moment was presenting the American K2 summit flag to U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale.Hell, it’s going to be dark by the time we get down. Not exactly Plan A [laughs]. Only at the top of an 8,000-meter peak can extreme exhilaration, extreme exhaustion and extreme anxiety co-exist – it would make an interesting anti-depressant drug.Really, they couldn’t be more different. First, you have Nepal versus Pakistan – that’s a book in itself with different cities, food, culture, religion, development, etc. Nepal has a reliable transport system, Pakistan’s is still developing. So even getting to Lukla versus Skardu is different. You can definitely catch a plane to Lukla, but you may or may not have to go by road to Skardu. Teahouses and trails line the 62-km path to Everest Base Camp that the yaks and porters follow. Donkeys and porters carry tents to pitch along the 100-km route of glacier travel to K2 Base Camp. The glaciers are topped with jagged rock – large, medium and small – and are easy to walk on. But it is very easy to twist an ankle and many trekkers, climbers and tourists do so every season in Pakistan as they try to keep pace with the rest of their group. Everest Base Camp can hold 400 people, while you are likely to have 40 at K2 Base Camp. People climb Everest in April/May, K2 in June/July.Vanessa Audi Rhys O’Brien was born on December 2, 1964 as Monica Wojcik, daughter of Ken and Judy Wojcik, and grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. After graduating from Grosse Pointe South High School, Vanessa briefly attended University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then New York University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics.Vanessa’s only sibling and brother, Gregory Wojcik, died in a tragic boating accident at the early age of 15 in 1981.Vanessa formerly publicly identified as bisexual during her high school and early adult years, and dated women and men. She was also deeply involved in the avant garde, new wave, punk music, art, and fashion scene in Detroit and Boston, and moved from Detroit to Boston in 1986, and lived briefly with the family of new wave band Figures On A Beach lead singer, Michael Smith. Vanessa often used the nickname “Xavier” amongst music and art scene friends during the mid to late 80s. Vanessa often frequented avant garde, new wave, punk nightclubs such as Liedernacht[7], Asylum, and City Club[8] in Detroit, as well as The Batcave and SPIT in Boston. She briefly worked for John Dellaria hair salon on Newbury Street in Boston which was a hub not only for the wealthy but also for avaunt grade, new wave, punk, and high fashion senescence. While working at John Dellaria, she briefly studied to become an aestheticism and makeup artist.Vanessa married Brekynn Mitchell[9] [born as Scott A Mitchell] in the late 1980s, and moved with him from Boston to Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, where they bought a coop apartment together on West 19th Street in 1988. They separated and divorced amicably in New York City shortly thereafter in 1991; Vanessa then spent time traveling and working for GE Capital in both Stamford, Connecticut and San Francisco, California to further her burgeoning career in finance. She was married a second time in Connecticut, for a very brief period of time in the mid 1990’s.