Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner
The extreme mountaineer
As a high-altitude mountaineer who was the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is an exceptional athlete.
The qualified nurse climbed her first eight-thousander at the young age of 23. With the ascent of K2, with a total of 8611 meters in altitude and the second highest mountain on earth, she is the first woman to have reached all eight-thousander peaks without the support of supplemental oxygen and without the help of high altitude porters.
However, her passion is not only for the eight-thousanders. The Austrian is also inspired by the exchange and cooperation with other people. Above all, gratitude, inner passion, and a respectful approach to nature are at the center of her life. Again and again she tries to share these values and attitudes with her fellow men from different cultures in various lectures and workshops.
Many people look up to her. As one of the best extreme mountaineers, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has a certain role model function, also in terms of sustainability. The athlete gladly accepts this role model function. In this interview, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner reveals how a sustainable lifestyle can be combined with mountaineering expeditions.
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is a high-altitude mountaineer, the first person to conquer all 14 eight-thousanders without carrying oxygen, and a trained nurse. In an interview with ISPO.com, she looks back with great satisfaction, gratitude and joy.
In 2016, she was awarded the ISPO Cup for her life's work. The extreme mountaineer will also be in Munich for ISPO Munich 2018. In an interview with ISPO.com, she talks about her most emotional moment on an eight-thousander as well as the dangers on the mountain and reveals why she will never climb an eight-thousander again.
Extreme mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner on mountain sports at the limit. In the interview, she talks about the magical attraction of the mountains, encounters with death and a small knife that saved her life.
During the ascent of Moutn Everest, together with Ralf Dujmovits and Japanese Hirotaka Takeuchi there was a medical emergency. The 34-year-old Japanese suffered from cerebral edema and the registered nurse treated the seriously ill Takeuchi. She was rightly voted Sports Personality of the Year at ISPO Munich.
In addition to the countless successes that Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has already achieved, setbacks are also always part of her daring ascents. How the extreme athlete deals with this and whether mountaineering is addictive, she reveals in this video.
| Sport: | Mountaineering |
| Height: | 173 cm |
| Nationality: | Austria |
| Birthday: | December 13, 1970 |
| Born in: | Kirchdorf an der Krems |
| Wonhaft in: | Attersee, Upper Austria |
| Record: | First woman to have all 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen |
| First eight-thousander: | Borad Peak pregipfel in Pakistan, 8,027 vertical meters |
| Partner: | Manfred Jericha |
| Followers on Instagram: | 6.234 |
