Conquering mountains

For forty-four-year-old Oh Eun-sun, this could be one for the record books.

The S Korean female mountaineer left for Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, to conquer her last "eight-thousander", the Annapurna in the Himalayas. If she succeeds, she will have climbed all the world's 14 highest mountains measuring more than 8,000 meters above sea level.

After conquering 13, the 14th might seem like a cinch. The Annapurna is the 10th highest summit in the world at 8,091 meters. But on her last attempt to summit Annapurna in late October last year, she was forced to turn back due to inclement weather. Oh and her team waited for nearly a day for the weather to clear, but the strong winds, cold temperatures and snow made it impossible to continue. She had tried in early October as well, but was forced down again due to the "white out" phenomenon caused by snow and fog. According to Yonhap, Annapurna is considered one of the most dangerous courses in the world, having taken the lives of 16 S Korean mountaineers to date.

"I'm a little bit thrilled and nervous facing the journey but I'll climb the mountain with determination," Oh said before leaving from Incheon International Airport, Yonhap said. "I'm confident as I have been there last year and in good condition. I'll come back with good news."

After a month of adjusting to the high altitude at some 5,600 meters above sea level, Oh will make the ascent of Annapurna around April 25, said Yonhap.

"I have no intention of going against nature. If the weather conditions do not permit, I will turn back. But I will make several attempts," Oh said.

If she fails to summit Annapurna on her first try, she will make a second attempt in early May, with a third attempt possible in mid-May, said JoongAng.

Background

Oh climbed her first eight-thousander, the 8,043 meter high Gasherbrum II, in 1997. It would be another seven years before she scaled her next eight-thousander, Mt. Everest, in 2004. Everest is the world's highest mountain at 8,848 meters.

Following Everest, Oh climbed Shishapangma in 2006; Cho Oyu and K2 in 2007; Makalu, Lhotse, Broad Peak and Manaslu in 2008; Kangchenjunga, Dhaulagiri I, Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum I in 2009.

Oh was the first Korean female to climb the Seven Summits and third female to conquer the 11 highest Himalayan peaks.

The first (male) climber to top all 14 mountains was Reinhold Messner of Italy in 1986, according to the Korea Times. Korean climbers who have also conquered all 14 mountains include Park Young-seok, Eum Hong-gil and Han Wang-yong.