[for what it’s worth]

Performance. Records. Enablers.

Achieving.

To me, performance transcends records. Performance can only be understood in consideration of personal, environmental, and other factors. It is difficult to quantify or summarize performance in a single claim.

Records are absolute. They condense an achievement to a single metric. Easy to communicate. Sometimes groundbreaking, sometimes a result of eclectic classifiers, their value varies. An outstanding performance may not yield a record and vice-versa.

I am rarely asked about my performance. I am constantly asked about my records. So here they are, for whatever they are worth.

Records.

    • First and only woman to ski solo and unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole

    • Youngest person to ski (solo or in a team) unsupported from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole

    • Youngest woman to ski solo and unsupported (from an inner or coastal starting point) to the South Pole

    • First German woman to climb twelve 8000m peaks

    • First German woman to climb K2

    • First German woman to climb Kangchenjunga

    • First German woman to climb Annapurna I

    • First German woman to climb Gasherbrum I

    • Youngest German woman to climb Mount Everest

    • Youngest German person to climb the Seven Summits

    • 5th woman to climb thirteen 8000m peaks without bottled oxygen (or 3rd taking into account the true summit research findings)

    • 10th woman to successfully climb Mount Everest without bottled oxygen

    • 11th woman to climb K2 without bottled oxygen

    • Unconfirmed: Fastest woman to climb three 8000m peaks without bottled oxygen

Expeditions.

    • Khövsgöl Nuur [250km] - inner partial circumnavigation from and to Khatgal via Khank, unsupported solo expedition, 2026

    • Northwest Passage [400km] - Cambridge Bay to Gjoa Haven, unsupported team expedition, 2023

    • Akshayuk Pass [130km] - North Pang Shelter to Pangnirtung, unsupported solo expedition, 2023

    • Antarctica [1381km] - Berkner Island to the South Pole, unsupported solo expedition, 2020

    • Greenland [575km] - Kangerlussuaq to Tassilaq, unsupported team expedition, 2019

    • Lhotse [8516m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2026

    • Mount Everest [8849m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2025

    • Dhaulagiri [8167m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2025

    • Annapurna I [8091m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2025

    • Cho Oyu [8188m] - no bottled oxygen, personal Sherpa support, 2024

    • Manaslu [8163m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2024

    • Kangchenjunga [8586m] - no bottled oxygen, personal Sherpa support during summit day, 2024

    • Makalu [8485m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2024

    • Gasherbrum I [8080m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2023

    • Gasherbrum II [8035m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2023

    • Nanga Parbat [8126m] - no bottled oxygen, basecamp support only, 2023

    • Mount Everest [8049m] - bottled oxygen starting at 8400m, personal Sherpa support, 2021

    • K2 [8611m] - no bottled oxygen, personal Sherpa support, 2019

    • Broad Peak [8051m] - no bottled oxygen, team Sherpa support, 2019

    • Mount Vinson [4892m] - 2017

    • Mount Everest [8048m] - bottled oxygen starting at 7000m, personal Sherpa support, 2017

    • Puncak Jaya [4884m] - 2016

    • Elbrus [5642m] - 2016

    • Denali [6190m] - 2016

    • Kilimanjaro [5895m] - 2015

    • Mont Blanc [4807] - 2015

    • Aconcagua [6961m] - 2015

Striving.

So, what’s next? Another record-setting expedition? Maybe. As a by-product. Rather than defining my goals based on records, I like to let curiosity guide my way. Following my interests, and living up to my values, virtues, capabilities. The art of striving well. Eudaimonia.

Acknowledging.

With every expedition I build upon the work of others. Those who have pioneered exploration of these mountains and polar regions, those who have developed gear, GPS, and communications systems, those who have developed the infrastructure and logistics. More directly, I benefit from those who believe in me, teach me, support me, or even break trail for me. Still too many to mention, here is a selection of people who have been key to my expeditions:

Luciano Badino // Dustin English // Michael Gardner // Pavel Chernov // Lukas Furtenbach // Nurbu Sherpa // Bård Helge Strand // Rune Krogh // Mingma Sherpa // Ang Kaji Sherpa // Temba Bhote // Cchang Dawa Sherpa // Lars Ebbesen // Christian Eide // Devon McDiarmid // Steve Jones // Børge Ousland // Thomas Ulrich // Sarah McNair-Landry // Matthieu Tordeur // Sona Sherpa // Mingma Gyalje Sherpa // Kirsten Blacha