MOUNTAINEERING INFORMATION ARTICLES

Alison Hargreaves: Excellent Woman Climber

The name Alison Hargreaves is a household name in the world of mountaineering. Her accomplishments and passion for the sport has truly placed her on a pedestal among mountaineering greats, which have provided numerous contribution and inspiration for climbing enthusiasts.

Born on February 17, 1962, in Derbyshire, England to a mother who was a teacher and a father who worked as a scientific railway officer. The middle child of three, Alison got into an early start in climbing, at the age of only 6 years old, with both her parents also enthusiasts. By the time she was 9 years old she joined her parents to climb Britain’s highest peak, Ben Nevis. Her passion for climbing became more intense as she also got into rock climbing, an activity originating from her school days in Derbyshire. After graduating in Belper High School, she moved on to study mathematics at Oxford University, but her love for climbing reigned supreme as she decided to go climbing on a full-time basis. This was highly encouraged by her then boyfriend Jim Ballard, an amateur climber. By the age of 18, the couple got married and started their own family.

The couple ran an outdoor equipment shop while still pursuing their passion for climbing. She conquered the peaks of the Himalayas and the Alps, and even climbed Switzerland’s Eiger while she was 5 ½ months pregnant with their eldest son, Tom. Nothing was obviuosly in the way of her love for climbing, as she and her husband tried hard to make ends meet so long as they pursue their dreams and passion for conquering the world’s greatedt peaks. In 1993, after moving to Switzerland, Hargreaves’ career reached its peak being the first person to ever conquer all the six North faces of the alps, the Matterhorn, Eiger, Dru, Badile, Grandes Jorasses and Cima Grande. Soon after she continued on to make history, as she attempted to conquer Everest in 1994, an unsuccessful attempt after deciding to descent just a thousand meters away from the summit because of severe frostbite. Her will and strength of character pushed her to attempt the Everest once again in 1995, and made history for the second time being the first woman and second person to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.

After conquering Everest, the climbing enthusiast that she is paved way to moving on to other feats. She decided to conquer the next two highest mountains in the world, the K2 and Kangchenjunga. She set on to climb K2, also known as The Savage Mountain, in June of 1995. She had made history as she reached the summit of K2, making history once again as being the first woman to climb the world’s two highest peaks without any aid of oxygen. But with the stormy weather, her group failed to descent to base camp after conquering the peak.

Her death, together with six others on that fateful day, was a tremendous loss to the mountaineering world, with her immense courage and numerous achievements ranking her as among the greatest mountaineers in her time.

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