“Victory!” shouted South Korea’s self-described climbing addict Oh Eun Sun, 44, when she reached the top of Annapurna, a 26,545-foot mountain. As if this isn’t an accomplishment in itself, the shout of enthusiasm wasn’t just concerning Sun’s journey to the top: This was the record-breaking climb, the last peak the climber had to summit to have climbed all of the world’s 14 highest mountains. It’s an astounding feat considering the 14 peaks each rise more than 26,000 feet in the Hilmalayan and Karakorum ranges in Asia. Plus, Sun used no extra oxygen.
But there’s just one problem: Speculation has arose concerning whether Sun got all the way to the top to one of those 14 peaks, the 28,169-foot Kangchenjunga. Other climbers say her photos and video look odd, as no other peaks are visible from the foggy shots. Critics add that the incredibly good timing Sun had to have made might be too good to be true. She was monitored from a base camp until about 2 p.m. that day until weather obscured the view. Supposedly, the climber reached the summit three hours and 40 minutes later–an especially difficult feat.
Furthermore, of the three sherpas that accompanied Sun on the climb of Kangchenjunga, only one has vouched for her. And her Korean flag only adds to the mystery: It was found 200 feet below the summit, held down by four rocks.
For now, Sun’s 2009 climb will read “disputed” in the Himalayan database. But despite the critics and the mystery, we believe a victory dance is still in order.
[Via: ABC News]
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