How an engineer became the first woman to conquer the world's fourteen highest peaks.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Edurne Pasaban transitioned from a career in industrial engineering to the thin air of the Himalayas. By 2010, she achieved a historic mountaineering milestone, becoming the first woman to summit all fourteen of the planet's eight-thousanders, a feat that required immense physical endurance and navigating complex international sporting controversies.

Born in 1973 in Tolosa, Spain, Edurne Pasaban initially followed a conventional path, earning a degree in Technical Industrial Engineering and working in her family's paper machinery business. Her transition to elite mountaineering began with childhood trips to the Pyrenees and a first climbing experience in the Alps at age 17. By 18, she was scaling 6,000-metre peaks in Ecuador, eventually reaching the Himalayas in 1998. This progression led to a decade-long quest to summit all fourteen peaks exceeding 8,000 metres.

The journey to the record was marked by intense competition and scrutiny. In 2010, Pasaban reached the summit of Shisha Pangma, completing her set of fourteen. However, her status as the first woman to do so was briefly contested by South Korean climber Oh Eun-sun. Pasaban challenged the validity of Oh's 2009 ascent of Kangchenjunga, citing testimonies from seven Sherpas who claimed weather conditions prevented the summit. The dispute was eventually resolved in August 2010 when the South Korean Hiking Federation withdrew its recognition of Oh's climb, confirming Pasaban's historic achievement.

Beyond the peaks, Pasaban has maintained a multifaceted professional life. She completed executive programs at ESADE and IE Business School, and today she leverages her mountaineering experiences as a conference speaker and coach. She also founded 'Mountaineers for Himalayas by Edurne Pasaban,' a charitable organization dedicated to the education of children in the Himalayan region. By balancing her corporate advisory roles with her athletic legacy, she continues to guide individuals and teams toward personal goals, proving that the discipline required for high-altitude climbing translates directly into executive leadership.

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