“Because it's the highest mountain on the planet.” That was Nancy Hansen's reply when asked why she wanted to climb Mount Everest. “It's a mountain I've always wanted to climb,” Hansen said.
“Because it's the highest mountain on the planet.”
That was Nancy Hansen's reply when asked why she wanted to climb Mount Everest.
“It's a mountain I've always wanted to climb,” Hansen said. “I honestly think most climbers have given it at least a passing thought. I've long had a simmering desire. I just never thought I'd have the opportunity.”
But, she was quick to add, if her only option was to follow fixed ropes set by Sherpas up the crowded South Col route breathing supplementary oxygen, she would not be interested.
Since 1953, more than 4,000 people have summited Everest, the vast majority via the South Col or North Ridge. Only three per cent of them reached the 8,848-metre summit without breathing supplementary oxygen, which effectively lowers the height of the mountain to 7,000 m.
Hansen, 46, and her boyfriend, German climber Ralf Dujmovits, 53, plan to climb the mountain from the northern Tibet side via the Norton Couloir, a route that has only been successfully climbed twice; in 1980 by Reinhold Messner, solo and without oxygen, and in 1984 by two Australians, also without oxygen.
With the Grizzly Paw providing beer, a wine-tasting fundraiser hosted by Crimson Imports and Canmore's Coast Hotel takes place Friday, Feb. 27 at the Coast Hotel. Tickets are available for $40 at the ACC Clubhouse or Vertical Addiction, with just a few at the door.
“There are ways to climb Everest that are not crowded,” Hansen said. “And we will have to actually climb. There'll be no crowds, no Sherpas and no fixed ropes. It's a really attractive route.”
The route is named for Briton Edward Norton, who in 1924 reached 8,573 m before turning back to rescue a teammate.
While the north side tends to be colder and windier, its climbers avoid the objective hazards posed by the south side's constantly shifting Khumbu Icefall and “conga line” crowds that trap inexperienced climbers at high elevation for dangerously long periods of time.
Calgary's Laval St. Germain is the only Canadian to have climbed Everest without oxygen – what serious climbers consider an honest ascent. No North American woman has.
While Hansen hasn't climbed in the Himalaya before, she's honed her skills on big, challenging mountains in Peru, Bolivia and Alaska, including 6,194 m Denali, via the technically challenging Cassin Ridge. Because of its northern latitude, the effects of altitude on Denali are comparable to 7,000 m in the Himalaya. Hansen is also the first woman and sixth person to climb all 54 of the Canadian Rockies' peaks above 11,000 feet (3,353 m), and 46 of the 50 North American “classic routes” - more than anyone.
Dujmovits, who organized the trip, is a seasoned high altitude climber and professional guide. He's the 16th person, and first German, to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000 m peaks, all without oxygen except Everest. He's also climbed the Seven Summits, the highest on each continent. Last year he attempted Everest via the Norton Couloir solo, but high winds turned him back at 8,300 m.
To prepare for Everest, Hansen and Dujmovits will spend several weeks ski touring and climbing to 4,500 m in Switzerland, Austria and France, sleeping in the Alps' huts perched above 4,000 m.
Flying to Nepal on April 5, they'll spend three days in Kathmandu then travel by jeep and trucks for a week to a 5,500 m base camp in Tibet. Along the way they'll hike up 6,000 m training peaks to acclimatize.
“I am so much looking forward to the experience,” Hansen said. “I've heard so many great things about the Nepalese people and culture.”
Porters and yaks will ferry their gear as far up as advanced base camp at 6,500 m. From there, Hansen and Dujmovits will establish camps at 7,000 and 8,200 m, and from there plan their summit bid. They'll spend six weeks on the mountain.
“We're going to have a super tiny rope and ice tools and crampons,” Hansen said. “It's the same process as any mountain in the world. So much depends on weather and conditions, and acclimatization and going up and down.
“That will determine how long we spend in each camp. It's all about the altitude. Without oxygen, you have to be so much better acclimatized. One of the big issues with not using oxygen is it's not so much the lack of air, but that you can't move fast enough to generate body heat.”
Insisting she doesn't mind the cold and is “not opposed to suffering,” Hansen said she's extremely grateful to her “amazing sponsors” Valandre, OR and Lowa, for supplying specially designed high altitude gear worth “thousands and thousands of dollars”, including gloves, mitts and 8,000 m climbing boots.
“High altitude gear is essential if you want to come home with all your digits,” she said.
Hansen said she's also grateful to have gained information from other Canmore climbers who've summited 8,000 m Himalayan giants, including Helen Sovdat (first Canadian ascent of 8,163 m Manaslu with Val Pitkethly), Andy Evans (only Canadian to summit both Everest and K2 and descend safely), and Sharon Wood (first North American woman to climb Everest, via a new route with no Sherpas supporting their team in 1986).
Coincidentally, Hansen and Dujmovits will travel to base camp with Calgary's Raphael Slawinski, who will attempt a new route with two German partners, also without oxygen.
But first, as she wraps up six months as Alpine Club of Canada interim executive director, Hansen is actively fundraising.
“It's so much cash, it's unbelievable!” she said. “I've actually had people sending me money, which is amazing and strange. I also try to think of it as, You just paid for a yak driver to feed his family for a week. You're contributing to the Nepalese economy.
“But my entire life for the past 21 years has been immersed in climbing. You can't pass up life's good opportunities.”
To donate, contact Hansen at [email protected]
