In the last few days since South Korean climber Oh Eun-Sun's successful ascent of Annapurna, the final peak in her quest to become the first woman to scale the fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, the world's media has erupted with stories about her disputed ascent of Kangchenjunga last year.
Articles have appeared in The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Korea Times, BBC News, and New Zealand Herald among many others detailing not only Oh's accomplishment but also her controversy.
There is no dispute that 44-year-old Oh did reach the summit of Annapurna. Her final steps, actually her final crawl since she climbed the final stretch using all four limbs, was broadcast live on Korean television. What is disputed is whether or not Oh actually reached the summit of Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest peak.
Unfortunately this story about whether or not she cheated her way to the top overshadows what should be a mountaineering milestone. Last year Oh Eun-Sun was the dark horse to win the 8,000er derby but when Go Mi-Sun, one of her main rivals as well as a friend, died after falling from high on Nanga Parbat, Oh and her team continued climbing, knocking off four of the big peaks and finishing the year needing only Annapurna to complete the ultimate peak list.
Oh, taking 12 years and nine months to climb the fourteen peaks, became the 21st person and the fourth South Korean to climb the 8,000ers. The great Italian alpinist Reinhold Messner was the first, completing the list 24 years ago in 1986.
It's unfortunate that what should have been a wonderful and inspiring story about women mountaineers like Oh Eun-Sun, Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban, who has climbed thirteen of the peaks, and Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner with 12 peaks and Italian Nives Meroi with 11, and their race to become the first woman to stand atop the world's highest peaks, has degenerated into disputed ascents and the tactics used to climb the mountains, accusations of bad sportsmanship and sour grapes, and finally allegations of out-right cheating and lying. I know that there's a lot of money, fame, national prestige, and ego involved, but really, is all this any way for ladies to act?
Photograph above: Oh Eun-Sun climbing in the Himalayas. Photograph courtesy Korea Times.
Comments
I don’t understand. Despite accusations flying back and forth, you seem to have already decided that Oh’s accomplishments are fraudulent. It shows in the tone of your articles, which come across as bitter and whiny.
A true lover of climbing would write and hope for a truthful and good resolution, yet you seem to have already declared her accomplishment tarnished.
A true journalist would carefully write neutral articles until Mrs. Hawley completes her investigation. Whether you like it or not, a lot of non-climbers such as myself are looking into the sport for the first time, and I hope other journalists or bloggers that cover this great sport hold themselves to a higher standard.
Al-
Maybe you should give up climbing and persue a Lincoln-Douglas toned political writing career. This article is fine ane represents both sides equally- with emphasis on Oh Suns success.
In a less PC fashion- shut the $%@! dude. Really. Climbing isnt for you.
Thanks for your comment Al. I am trying to fairly report on Miss Oh’s accomplishment. I want to believe that she summitted Kangchenjunga and have no reason to believe that all this is a misunderstanding. I do, however, know that the tactics that both Oh and Pasaban have used to reach the 8000er summits are the expeditionary tactics of the 1950s and 1960s and are not the style that a lot of alpinists would use now. That said, they did what they did and are out there in that wild arena and are climbing and reaching summits. Bravo for Miss Oh’s ascents and completion of the 8000 list. I do withhold judgment until all the facts come out.
Shane, if you think the latest articles is fine and neutral, good for you. Different people can have different opinions.
And OK, climbing isn’t for me. Looks like any kind of work that involves hearing other people thoughts and opinions isn’t for you, Shane.
climbing: Thank you for your time responding to a single comment. I apologize for sounding personal.
Also, if Oh committed even the smallest and smallest of frauds, I hope it is found out and the proper actions are taken.
We all have differing opinions about things, and sometimes our discussions about climbing and its ethics can cross the line as Shane did. Reasonable discussion is great. Personal attack when we don’t really know where someone else is coming from is different. Civility please!
Anyway Al, I agree with you. If Miss Oh didn’t make it to the top, she deserves chastisement for breaking the sacred trust we have as climbers to truthfully report our ascents of both mountains and rock routes. It’s like the self-policing in golf. It’s up to the individual climber to properly document and report his/her ascents and then we take that at face value.
Doing the 8000ers and trying to become the first woman to climb them all does require documentation–photos, video, GPS tracks, and collaboration from other climbers–to properly verify the ascents…trust but verify. Way to much is at stake to take a half-hearted attempt as it appears Oh did on Kangchenjunga.
First off, I applaud Stewart for taking the time to interpret the available information from the European and Asian sites and post it here in English for us foreign-language-challenged folks. Aside from a blurb on NBC about Oh being the first woman to reach the summits of all 14 8000ers, it seems the rest of the western media has chosen to ignore the story altogether.
Secondly, I think these articles have been very even-handed. Mountaineers and climbers are hard on each other in regard to character and style, because we understand first-hand just how difficult these pursuits can be, and to lie and cheat about them brings disgrace to an otherwise respectable sport where valid statistics and achievements rely heavily on the honesty of each individual. That’s part of the beauty of climbing: we don’t have referees and judges standing on the sidelines keeping us honest – rather, we rely on each other’s integrity to support the veracity of an ascent. Afterall, a true climber wouldn’t dare embellish facts in order to bring attention to a falsified summit.
Third, I believe the writer has every right to have an opinion, and voice it on his blog site. If you want to read a real ripping of Oh’s performance, check out David Falt’s blog, which I venture to guess more closely reflects the opinions of most mountaineers.
As a woman, I’m pleased to see a woman summit all 8000ers.
As a mountaineer, I’m disappointed that she didn’t do it by more fair means.
As a woman mountaineer, I’m embarrassed that she not only didn’t do it by fair means – as the men who came before her – but she may very well have lied about one of her ascents.
If it turns out she indeed reached the summit of Kangchenjunga, Oh’s feat will still be tarnished by the nature of her means. Even with the use of oxygen aside, the facts are thus: *Tourists* hire guides to break trail for them, set up fixed lines, and ferry them from camp to camp. *Mountaineers* share in the trail-breaking duties, assist with rope-work, set up their own tents and carry their own loads. She may have summitted all 14 peaks, but I believe she will always be perceived as merely a tourist who tried to steal a climber’s accomplishment, and that the first woman to truly climb all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks remains to be seen.
Susan’s comment reminds me of allegations steroids use by Chinese women swimmers several years ago when they started winning in international competitions. And when Chinese atheletes were bagging gold medals left and right at the Beijing Olympics, the allegagation of the entire Chinese delegation “cheating” became mainstream, as if Chinese can’t win gold medals. Based on Susan’s tone of language, e.g., calling Oh a “tourist,” Susan appearted shocked by Oh’s accomplishments much the same way the most people in the U.S. were shocked by the Chinese winning more gold medals than the U.S.
I am not a climber. I am an outsider looking in. My guess from all these ugly and nasty allegations flying back and forth is that there’s a huge amount of money involved in mountaineering. Mountaineering is not a solitary activity it appears to outsiders, definitely not anything like Henry Thoreau living in nature to become one with Nature. The Oh-Pasaban scandal in the mountaineering world is beginning to resemble the Kerrigan-Harding scandal of the figure skating world. It’s a complete turn off.
A quick research on web shows most of Susan’s concerns about Oh are unfounded. The wikipedia article on Oh Eun Sun contains responses to most of Susan’s allegations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Eun-Sun. Also many are confusing Oh with another mountaineer named Go, further confusing the matter. See http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=18967. Basically, people like Pa$aban, Green, and Susan are coming off as the Tanya Harding of the mountain world taking their alpenstock to Oh’s knee to bring her down, just so one of their own could claim the title of being the “first” woman to summit fourteen 8000ers.
Oh Eun-Sun’s Disputed Peak Tarnishes All Alpiners. After reading about the Oh-Pa$aban dispute, I realized that alpiners are not the modern day Henry Thoreaus. It’s a business, not much different from Citi Bank, and other wall street firms. Rather than reporting to a 9-5 job each morning, alpiners report to the top of the tallest mountain in the world, not because “it’s there,” but because their pay-check is there. After reading about Pa$aban and others’ taking their snow ax to Oh’s knee to bring her down, I no longer envy alpiners’ not having to worry about a 9-5 job. I can also be an 8000er myself, from the comfort of a 747, and still marvel at humanity for having dreamed up such a whale that floats in the air. Climbing tallest buildings in the world using elevators reinforces my belief in human nature. I have a 9-5 job, but I don’t have to knee anyone for a big payday. Alpiners definitly are not the modern-day Thoreaus. They are more like Hardings of the Kerrigan-Harding fame, steroids-using bodybuilders, baseball players, etc. The race to finish tallest mountains is just money-making business for these folks.