Australian mountain climber Katie Sarah has become the first woman to climb the highest mountain and volcano on every continent — a feat that only seven other climbers have accomplished. The 49-year-old mother of three achieved the landmark record after enduring temperatures of -22 degrees Fahrenheit in order to scale Mount Sidley in Antarctica on January 14.
“It’s very exciting,” said Sarah in comments made to 9 News Adelaide following her successful return home. “I didn’t actually realize until I was down on the ice that I was going to be the only female to have done both Sevens.”
“I always concentrate on the journey rather than the actual success because in mountains, success is coming home with all your fingers and toes, and safely,” she added.
Sarah embarked on her journey to complete the “Seven-Seven” in 2007, when she came within 450 yards of reaching the summit of Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, before being forced to turn back. During her successful 2010 summit of Everest, Sarah’s eight-person team tried, but ultimately failed, to rescue two Japanese and American men who died after being hit by a blizzard as they descended from the summit.
While Everest proved the hardest challenge, she said that each mountain offered a unique experience — whether it was dodging deadly tiger snakes during a summit of Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko, or engaging with the “very friendly and welcoming” people of Iran during her climb of Mount Damavand. Her next goal, she added, is to spend her 50th birthday in the Himalayas at the top of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak.
