She is a strong woman. Anja Blacha reached the South Pole on skis, solo and without support. And she has already summited twelve of the 14 eight-thousanders, more than any other woman from Germany – and all of them without bottled oxygen.
The 35-year-old has even stood on Mount Everest three times: in 2017 via the Tibetan north side, with a breathing mask, in 2021 and 2025 from the Nepalese south side of the mountain, the first time with bottled oxygen from an altitude of around 8,400 meters, and four years later without a breathing mask – the first German woman to do so, by the way.
Before the start of this year’s spring climbing season in the Himalayas, Anja Blacha answered my questions.
Anja, you have climbed twelve of the 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen. What dominates – pride in what you have already achieved or the ambition to now complete the collection?
Continue reading “Eight-thousander mountaineer Anja Blacha: “My identity does not depend on the mountains””
