‘I’ve been able to dream big’: 62-year-old Canadian becomes oldest woman to summit K2 in Pakistan

An Oakville, Ont., girl grew to become the oldest feminine to climb the second highest mountain on the planet on the age of 62, after choosing up Alpine climbing at 50.

Liliya Ianovskaia, not solely managed to efficiently summit Mount Everest in Nepal, she went on to climb two extra mountains above 8,000 metres simply weeks after.

Regardless of Mount Everest being the best mountain on earth at 8,849 metres, K2 in Pakistan, the second highest peak, is understood to be one of the vital harmful and troublesome treks as a result of avalanches, steepness and unpredictable climate.

However Ianovskaia stated that did not cease her, and neither did her age.

“I do not see any limits actually imposed by age, I really feel sturdy … and I have been in a position to dream large,” she stated.

“And yeah, perhaps it’s daring typically, however up to now I used to be in a position to obtain that. I feel that age will not be a restrict, it is only a quantity.”

On July 22, Ianovskaia and her climbing associate — her youngest daughter Dasha, scaled the 8,611-metre mountain within the Karakoram vary in northern Pakistan. 

“Climbing K2 was wonderful. I all the time needed to go to Pakistan,” Ianovskaia stated.

“For years I used to be excited about [it], however I assumed, no, it’s too troublesome. It’s too harmful, too difficult [but] all the things is feasible.”

Ianovskaia is the oldest girl to climb K2 and the primary Canadian girl to summit the mountain, based on Germany-based researcher Eberhard Jurgalski and his staff at 8,000’ers.com who research mountains above 8,000 metres.

On Aug. 8, Ianovskaia went on to sort out her fifth 8,000-metre plus peak, Gasherbrum II in the identical area as K2 and is the thirteenth highest mountain on the planet at 8,035 metres above sea degree.

Ianovskaia, impressed by her youngest of three daughters Dasha, set an inventory of objectives to realize inside a yr on her fiftieth birthday. She did not solely crush her preliminary objective of working a marathon, however ran three throughout the span of six weeks. 

She additionally climbed Mount Kilimanjero, a 5,895-metre dormant volcano in Tanzania together with her daughter in 2009.

“That was the start of all the things and after that I spotted I can undoubtedly push myself more durable,” Ianovskaia stated.

Since 2019, Ianovskaia has climbed a complete of 5 of 14 mountains above 8,000 metres: Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Everest, K2 and Gasherbrum II.

The Worldwide Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises “8,000ers” because the 14 mountains that stand above 8,000 metres.

Dasha Ianovskaia impressed her mom to begin climbing on the age of fifty.

“If somebody informed me again then that we’d climb Mount Everest collectively then I’d’ve thought they had been mad,” Dasha stated.

The transferring ice, deep crevasses and frequent ice falls are one of the vital harmful elements of the staff’s Everest ascent, she stated. However that did not cease the mother-daughter duo from pushing by way of.

“Sharing the second on the prime of the world, after we are each very quick individuals … we had been the tallest individuals,” she stated.

Ianovskaia stated it took the expedition staff six weeks to acclimatize to the altitude on Mount Everest earlier than making an attempt to summit the height on Might 14. She stated climbers needed to proceed mountain climbing up and down for weeks earlier than they took 5 days off to relaxation forward of the official summit day.

Ianovskaia is planning to go again to Nepal subsequent spring to cross the world’s third and fourth highest mountains off of her checklist: Kangchenjunga and Lhotse.

She stated she has by no means felt extra motivated in her life.

“I really feel like at this level of my life I can achieve this far more than I used to be in a position to do in my mid 30s,” Ianovskaia stated.

“Hold coaching, keep optimistic, arrange the objectives and simply go for it.”