B.Gangaamaa: I told
my mother I wouldn’t
go to K2 but I reached
its summit
State Honored Athlete and international sports master B. Gangaamaa
has returned to Mongolia. Previously, we reported that the
mountaineer became the first Mongolian to climb the second highest
summit in the world. Though in height the summit is second after
Mount Everest, the K2 summit is a deadly one where many mountain
climbers of the world faced their deaths as it is steep and tough to
climb.
The Secretary General of the Mongolian Mountain Climbers
Association said, “B.Gangaamaa’s body is small but her will is large.”
Her accomplishments are not only applauded in Mongolia but
internationally.
B.Gangaamaa discovered the sport of mountain climbing 27 years ago.
She is from Zavkhan Province’s Ikh Uul soum. In 1989, when she was
a middle school student, she joined Zavkhan Province’s sports club
and to climb Otgontenger Mountain. As an adventurous amateur
mountaineer, she asked to join a team of climbers, and was told,
“Teacher Nandin decides. Go meet her.”
The teacher told her to be careful and to climb as advised. This was
when she decided to pursue mountaineering. B.Gangaamaa studied
microbiology at university and has worked at the Inspection Agency
of Zavkhan Province for nine years. Throughout the years, the
mountaineers said that the mountains were calling out to her. Inspired
by her dreams, she has followed the path of mountain climbing and
switched to the tourism sector. Later on, she studied business at the
Mongolian National University and became a trainer for mountaineers.
In 2013, B.Gangaamaa attempted to climb K2 and has left from the
journey. The following year, she has started preparing and gathered a
team of international mountain climbers. Mongolians are extremely
proud of the climber as she became the first from the country to
successfully set foot on top of the K2 summit.
B.Gangaamaa is also a Seven Summiteer, meaning she climbed the
top summits on each continent in the world.
2010- European Elbrus
2011- Asian Everest
2012- African Kilimanjaro
2015- North American Denali
2016- South American Aconcagua
2016- Australian Kosciuszko
2016- Antarctica Vinson Massif
2018- K2 Summit
B.Gangaamaa gave an interview about her voyage to K2.
Was climbing the infamous K2 summit troublesome?
It is a great summit.
What was the weather condition like when you were climbing?
When we got there and set up camp, the weather was nice. However,
right as we were about to climb, the condition got really bad. We
couldn't set the ropes since the last and forth camp. We were based at
the third camp waiting for the weather to clear but we got a report
telling us that we can’t set the ropes and all climbers should return to
base.
Then our sherpa (guide) said, “I will go up to IV camp and see the
condition there,” and left. As our team members were packing and
preparing to leave, the sherpa came back and said there is no problem
and asked what I thought on the matter, “Gangaa do you want to
climb or go down?” I replied saying, “What, going down? We’re
climbing”.
Afterwards, the sherpa and I met each team member individually. It
was difficult to persuade the climbers in our team from Switzerland
and Ireland. I said, “Even if it is stormy, as long as we set the path
correctly, we can go up.”
The depth of the snow was about six meters and 50 meters of it below
was hardened. Our teammates agreed and we had reached the
Bottleneck. To be frank, as we were going up I was thinking to myself,
“What have I done”.
Maybe because it was dark, I was scared. We only had one rope and if
it breaks then we all fall. There wasn’t a single slant that was less
slanted than 80 degrees. Some of the places were straight up 90 degrees.
I was more scared than tired and I lost my balance sometimes. I lost my
footing once. While climbing Mount Everest, if the climbers lost their
footing, then they will only fall to the ground because it isn’t as steep
as K2 where we could fall to the bottom if we make one wrong step.
Did all members of your team reach the top?
Our team had 10 people and everyone reached the top. We were a team
composed of mountain climbers from eight countries. There were two
Chinese and two Japanese members. The others were from their
countries. Half the members were female, but the other team had one
female so there were a total of six women.
The members of our team became the first Latin American woman,
first from Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and Mongolia to reach the top
of K2. The Japanese woman from our team became the second woman
from her country to have climbed K2.
A lot of women headed to K2 this year. The total number of women
who climbed K2 has become 26 or 27. A total of 227 people climbed
the mountain but the number of those that died while trying is not few.
In recent years, the number of people heading for K2 has increased.
The record for the most amount of people to go to K2 was 28 in 2012,
but our team was made up of 31 people.
You drink dumpling milk tea well.
I wanted to eat dumplings and drink tea so I didn't eat anything on the
plane. Secretary General of the Mongolian Mountain Climbers
Association Bayaraa had worked in his position for 30 years. Before
I left for K2, he said, “Be careful when you go down K2.” Then I told
him that he is talking about how I should go down when I haven't even
gone up.
After our team reached the summit, we went down in a hurry. Some
stopped at II camp, but some left altogether. I stayed at IV camp with
the Japanese climber. Due to how I was holding the rope all the time,
my arms were exhausted. I thought what if I go at night and my arm
slips. The Japanese teammate was thinking why we are sleeping
instead of going down. The next day, we went down at our own pace.
You have gotten past some hefty work. Are you going to rest now?
I am going to rest for 10 days and get back to work. When I left for K2
in 2013, my mother was extremely worried. For instance, in the past,
she used to say, “Okay. Have a safe journey,” and didn't say anything
else, but in 2013, she said, “As long as I am alive don't do to that
mountain again and make me suffer.” I responded saying, “Okay, I
won’t go.”, but on the inside I was thinking, “I will go”.
Did you suffer the change in altitude?
It was okay. My teammates prepared for K2 by going to Everest and
other mountains. When they told me that I was worried because they
already had gone through altitude training. I thought before climbing,
I would just go up and down a part of the mountain twice for practice.
I told my teammates that I want to go up and down twice before
starting K2, but then they said you climbed mountains all spring.
They knew that I climbed Elbrus, which is 5,000 meters. Up until II
camp, I went up 6,800 meters which prepared me for the altitude.
You camped a lot on the way there and way back.
On the way to the mountain, we camped five times and three on the
way back. We returned by helicopter and paid the army costs. If people
don’t pay, they don't care even if people are dying there. The price is
very high. To ensure safety, people leave in pairs. The cost was 30,000
USD.
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