Kathmandu, Aug 30: Renowned Australian mountaineer Allie Pepper is set to continue her ambitious mission of summiting all 14 of the 8000ers without supplemental oxygen.
Under her campaign themed “Respect Above the Clouds: 14 Peaks No O2”, she already climbed Annapurna, (8091m), the world’s 10th highest mountain on April 14, 2024 without supplemental oxygen. She was assisted by Nepali guides Mingtemba Sherpa and Ngima Wangdak Sherpa.
This was her second ascent of Annapurna and her first without oxygen. She had previously summited the mountain on April 28, 2022.
According to expedition organiser Seven Summit Treks, Pepper has already climbed nine of the 14 mountains above 8000m, including five without supplemental O2, and is expected tocontinue her mission in the spring next year.
Reflecting on her oxygen-free Annapurna ascent, Pepper said, “I am very happy and feel fortunate to have climbed the mountain twice.“
Pepper, 49, is not a new name in the mountaineering sector through. So far, she has conquered nine of the 14 mountains above 8,000 meters. She started off by scaling Mount Cho Oyuin Tibet in 2007 without O2.
On July 15, 2023, she ascended Broad Peak (8,052 meters), the world’s 12th highest mountain, and Manaslu (8,163 meters), the world’s fifth highest peak on September 28, 2023, becoming the first Australian woman to successfully climb Broad Peak without oxygen.
Beyond these climbing feats, her mission carries a meaning. She aims to encourage women to face challenges, overcome them, and move on.
According to available data, so far, only six people in the world have achieved the feat of climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters without oxygen.
Among them, only two men have reached the main peak of all 14 mountains in the world, and it took them 16 years.
