Pepper ticks off Langtang trek ahead of Annapurna-I ascent without supplementary Oxygen

Australian mountaineer Allie Pepper is in Nepal working on her goal of summiting all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks without oxygen in two years.

Pepper plans to climb Mount Annapurna-I, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga this spring, followed by a journey to Pakistan to conquer Nanga Parbat and K2. In the autumn, she aims to climb Shishapangma and Cho Oyu, before embarking on the remaining peaks – Gasherbrum-II, Gasherbrum-I, Dhaulagiri, Lhotse, and Everest in 2025.

Pepper recently completed a 4-day trek with her climbing partner, Mingtemba Sherpa (Mikel Sherpa). They explored Langtang Valley, which she described as a wonderful experience. Now, she’s gearing up to climb Annapurna-I, the 10th highest mountain in the world and the perfect start to the climbing season in Nepal.

“I did the Langtang Valley trek in preparation for Mount Annapurna 1. We will move to Annapurna I base camp in the next week. During our trek to Langtang, we went from Syabrubeshi to Lama Hotel and Kyanjin Gumpa. From Kyanjin Gumpa we hiked to Kyanjin Ri, Tsergo Ri, and headed above Yala Kharka to 5080 meters,” shared Pepper.

She added that during the trek to Langtang Valley, “I saw beautiful views of mountains around, langurs, many beautiful birds, beautiful villages, lodges and people who were so kind to us.”

Mikel Sherpa recounted, “Allie and I embarked on a four-day trek to Langtang Valley, and it was truly a remarkable experience. She is an incredibly resilient and determined individual, and her dedication shows that she will surely accomplish her dreams. Having previously guided her during the 2023 Manaslu trek without supplementary oxygen, I have seen the hard work she puts in. Based on my understanding with her, I am confident that she will realize her goal of conquering all 14 Peaks without supplementary oxygen.”

Pepper and her team arrived in Kathmandu on March 4 this year. This spring season, she has set her sights on scaling Mount Annapurna I without supplementary oxygen, followed by plans to climb Mount Kanchenjunga and Mount Makalu. Mount Kanchenjunga is the third-highest mountain in the world, with a summit of 8,586 meters, while Mount Makalu is the fifth-highest at 8,485 meters. For her expedition, she has chosen the Seven Summit Treks expedition company.

A Sydney-based mountaineer Allie aspires to climb all 14 mountains above eight thousand meters in the world without supplemental oxygen in two years.

Pepper is an experienced climber, having achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Australian woman to summit Broad Peak (8,051m) on July 15, 2023, and Mt Manaslu (8,163m) on September 28, 2023, both without the use of supplemental oxygen. Broad Peak is the 12th highest mountain in the world, while Mt Manaslu is the 5th highest.

She started climbing 8000m mountains in 2007 when she summited Mt Cho Oyu, also without bottled oxygen. With this, 48-year-old Pepper aims to encourage women facing challenges to conquer their mental mountains.

Only 6 people have climbed all 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen. Only 2 reached all 14 true summits and it took them around 16 years to complete.

Media:
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