Photos: 2011 People's Choice Adventurer of the Year

Makalu, Nepal/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on May 16, 2002

On Makalu I was able to experience the real Himalaya because we didn’t see anyone else on the mountain. We had to work really hard, but I really enjoyed the climb.
—Edurne Pasaban

Cho Oyu, Nepal/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on October 5, 2002

Many people say that Cho Oyu is the easiest mountain over 8,000 meters to climb. I would not say that—I think none of the 14 peaks could be considered easy. It is true that it is not very technical, nor dangerous. But it still is a serious peak. Several friends were part of the climb, and we really had fun.
—Edurne Pasaban

Lhotse, Nepal/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on May 26, 2003

Lhotse is very close to Mount Everest. In fact, they share the same Base Camp, Camp I, Camp II, and Camp III. That meant that I already knew part of the route when I started this climb. I did not like the upper part of the route. You get into a couloir where you can’t see anything until you reach the summit.
—Edurne Pasaban

Gasherbrum I, Pakistan/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on July 19, 2003

This was my first time in Pakistan, and everything was new for me. Gasherbrums I and II share the same Base Camp and Camp I. I was really lucky because I could summit both mountains within the same climb.
—Edurne Pasaban

Gasherbrum II, Pakistan/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on July 26, 2003

Gasherbrum I was definitely much harder than Gasherbrum II.
—Edurne Pasaban

K2, China/Pakistan

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on July 26, 2004

This expedition was a milestone in my life; it changed me. For the first time, I faced death. We arrived at the summit very late. On the way down, I got confused. I stopped and got sleepy. Fortunately my friends found me and woke me up so I could keep moving. I had serious frostbite on both of my feet, and I lost two toes. After that, I considered giving up climbing.
—Edurne Pasaban

Nanga Parbat, Pakistan

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on July 20, 2005

After the K2, Nanga Parbat was a great challenge for me. It meant I had to go back to Pakistan and, once again, climb a really hard mountain. But I found the motivation, and I summited.
—Edurne Pasaban

Broad Peak, Pakistan/China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on July 12, 2007

After one year of many doubts concerning my career in the Himalaya, Broad Peak was not really a hard mountain. It helped me recover the motivation and confidence I needed to keep climbing. After summiting the Broad Peak, the idea to complete the 14 8,000-meter peaks came to my mind.
—Edurne Pasaban

Dhaulagiri, Nepal

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on May 1, 2008

This was my third time on Dhaulagiri. On my previous expeditions (1998 and 2001), I lost three good friends. Coming back to Dhaulagiri was really special for me.
—Edurne Pasaban

Manaslu, Nepal

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on October 5, 2008

The trek to Manaslu Base Camp was one of the most beautiful. We encountered a lot of snowfall that forced us to wait at Base Camp for weeks. When the weather cleared, we worked really hard to arrive at the summit.
—Edurne Pasaban

Kangchenjunga, Nepal/India

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on May 18, 2009

This was a really hard expedition, very simlar to K2. We arrived to summit very late. On the way back to Camp IV, I was absolutely exhausted. My body literally gave up, but my mind was working well. Fortunately my teammates helped me get back to Base Camp, and I got off the mountain.
—Edurne Pasaban

Annapurna, Nepal

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on April 17, 2010

It is the most dangerous of the 14 peaks. We were the first team to arrive at the mountain in the spring of 2010, so we made a great push alone before the arrival of other groups. We were the first expedition on the summit. The most difficult peak was finally done, on the third try.
—Edurne Pasaban

Shishapangma, China

Photograph courtesy Edurne Pasaban

Summited on May 17, 2010

Shishapangma is the smallest of the 14 tallest peaks, but it’s the mountain that has kicked me off it the most. I had to try it five times to make it. Finally I summited in May 2010. When I arrived at the top, I could not stop crying. I had completed my dream to summit the 14 8,000-meter peaks. It was great, the weather was good, and we could stay on the summit for a long, unforgettable time.
—Edurne Pasaban