South Korea's Oh Eun-sun on Tuesday reached the summit of Mount
Annapurna in the Himalayas, becoming the first woman to set foot atop
the world's 14 peaks standing 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) or higher.
However,
in what seems to have turned into mountaineering's version of a cat
fight, a Spanish woman who is one peak shy of this same accomplishment
is being criticized for casting untimely doubt on her opponent's claim.
As Oh and her team advanced toward the summit of the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, Edurne Pasaban was quoted in the Spanish press as saying a Sherpa guide had stated that Oh did not actually set foot atop the Himalaya's Mount Kangchenjunga last year.
The timing of this negative press has led to a posting Tuesday on the Everest News website, accusing Pasaban for harboring "sour grapes."
Oh's feat is being recognized by the Nepal Mountaineering Assn., however, so those grapes are at least partially squashed.
Oh was not aware of this renewed criticism as she was aspiring toward the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, which she reached on all-fours as TV cameras rolled. The the debate has mostly involved her support team and Pasaban.
Oh last year told reporters she had, in fact, made the 28,169-foot top of Kangchenjunga: "It was bad weather. Three sherpas told me that I reached the top, and one of them took the picture," she said.
On Annapurna this week, one of the climber's Korean crew members told an ExplorersWeb correspondent: "We are very disappointed when we heard that Miss Pasaban mentioned Miss Oh's summit on Kangchenjunga. We think her words are very unfair. If she felt Miss Oh's summit was doubtful, she should have expressed her opinions at the time when everyone discussed it."
Pasaban, who still must climb the 26,335-foot Mount Shishapangma to complete her endeavor, is quoted by ExplorersWeb as saying she did not intend to stir such an ugly debate.
"I am confused. Had I known this so-called race was going to be such a mess, I would have thought twice before getting involved" she said. "I am not in this to get rich or famous--I just love climbing, it's my life, so I thought it was logical to complete the project."
-- Photo showing Oh Eun-sun (front) courtesy of Black Yak
However,
in what seems to have turned into mountaineering's version of a cat
fight, a Spanish woman who is one peak shy of this same accomplishment
is being criticized for casting untimely doubt on her opponent's claim.As Oh and her team advanced toward the summit of the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, Edurne Pasaban was quoted in the Spanish press as saying a Sherpa guide had stated that Oh did not actually set foot atop the Himalaya's Mount Kangchenjunga last year.
The timing of this negative press has led to a posting Tuesday on the Everest News website, accusing Pasaban for harboring "sour grapes."
Oh's feat is being recognized by the Nepal Mountaineering Assn., however, so those grapes are at least partially squashed.
Oh was not aware of this renewed criticism as she was aspiring toward the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, which she reached on all-fours as TV cameras rolled. The the debate has mostly involved her support team and Pasaban.
Oh last year told reporters she had, in fact, made the 28,169-foot top of Kangchenjunga: "It was bad weather. Three sherpas told me that I reached the top, and one of them took the picture," she said.
On Annapurna this week, one of the climber's Korean crew members told an ExplorersWeb correspondent: "We are very disappointed when we heard that Miss Pasaban mentioned Miss Oh's summit on Kangchenjunga. We think her words are very unfair. If she felt Miss Oh's summit was doubtful, she should have expressed her opinions at the time when everyone discussed it."
Pasaban, who still must climb the 26,335-foot Mount Shishapangma to complete her endeavor, is quoted by ExplorersWeb as saying she did not intend to stir such an ugly debate.
"I am confused. Had I known this so-called race was going to be such a mess, I would have thought twice before getting involved" she said. "I am not in this to get rich or famous--I just love climbing, it's my life, so I thought it was logical to complete the project."
-- Photo showing Oh Eun-sun (front) courtesy of Black Yak
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