Explorers

**ERIK WEIHENMAYER**

 * ** Erik Weihenmayer was born on September 23, 1968 in Princeton, New Jersey. In his childhood he suffered frousRetinoschisis, a disease affecting withoften persons of advanced age. In the case of Erik it evolved very fast. At the age of 13 years completely blind. **


 * When Erik was blind his father encouraged him you to break the barrier that defines what could and could not do. Erik refused to be limited and began to practice all kinds of sports.For several years the basketball was his hobby but he gave in became of his disability. ** || [[image:famousbiographies/Erik.jpg width="261" height="252" caption="Erik, the first blind person to climb the 7 eightthousanders in the world, including M. Everest"]] ||
 * Until one day in a program for blind people led him to climbing in rock. In an interview with National Geographic he, said that he had been fascinated to confront a major barrier that her hands had to find holes to find the way to the top.This new hobby at the end of the climb, turning it into a persistent and uneasy Erik Mountaineer. **
 * Until one day in a program for blind people led him to climbing in rock. In an interview with National Geographic he, said that he had been fascinated to confront a major barrier that her hands had to find holes to find the way to the top.This new hobby at the end of the climb, turning it into a persistent and uneasy Erik Mountaineer. **


 * With age and experience, Erik became a great mountaineer, the challenges that were presented were more ambitious.His big break was in 1995 when he came to the top of Mount Mckinley, the highest peak in North America. States. In 1997 he climbed kilimanjaro with his girlfriend. **
 * Then climbed the Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America in 1999 and Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica in the year 2000. His great challenge, was to climb to Everest.He is he first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest on may 25 2001. **


 * __ **

LIV ARNESEN (By: María Díez)

** Early life **

Liv Ragnheim Arnesen born June 1, 1953 is a Norwegian educator

, cross-country skier, adventurer , guide  , and  motivational speaker. Arnesen led th

e first unsupported women’s crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap in 1992. I

n 1994, she made international headlines becoming the first woman in the world t

o ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. A 50 day expedition of 1,200 km.

Arnesen grew up in Bærum, Norway on the outskirts of Oslo where at an early age, her parents immersed her in their passions: cross-country skiing and polar history. At an early age, Arnesen acquired her taste for the great wide open spaces while spending winters and Easter holidays in the Norwegian mountains. Her love of athletics and the outdoors eventually led Arnesen to compete in orienteering and cross-country skiing, as well as to coach high school students in advanced-level cross-country skiing. At the age of 9, Liv read about Roald Amundsen ’s expedition to the South Pole.

** Expeditions **

** Greenland 1992 **

In 1992, Liv took part in a team which became the first all-woman team to make an unsupported crossing of the Greenland icecap.

** South Pole 1994 **

In her book ‘Good Girls do not Ski to the South Pole’, Liv details her first solo-encounter with the Antarctic. Without support, Liv skied 745 miles and reached the South Pole in 50 days.

** Mount Everest, North Ridge 1996 **

In 1996, Arnesen attempted to reach the top of Mount Everest but had to retreat as she developed incipient high altitude cerebral edema.

** Antarctica 2001 **

Arnesen and American polar explorer Ann Bancroft become the first women in history to sail and ski across Antartica ’s landmass — completing a 94-day, 1,717-mile (2,747 km) trek.

** New project/expedition **

Arnesen and Bancroft are currently planning an international expedition of women to the South Pole. Both will return to Antarctica, compelled by global challenges and the access they have to millions of schoolchildren around the world, thanks to past expeditions. Their goal is to reach 50 million children, talking about the freshwater crisis.

**ERNEST SHACKLETON By: Sara García **

 * **E rnest Henry Shackelton was born on 15 February 1874 in county kildare,Irelan. His father was a doctor but he rejected the idea of becoming a doctor like his father, and he joined the merchant navy. When he was 16 and called as capital in 1898, he travelled a lot, but was keen to explore the Poles. **

**Shackelton became seriously, ill and had to return home, but had gained valuble experience.**
 * In 1901, Shackelton was chosen for an Antartic expedition conducted by British officer Robert Falcon Scott on the ship "Discovery".With Scott and another, Shackelton walked to theSouth Pole in extremely difficult conditions nearer the Pole,than anyone had gone before. ** || [[image:famousbiographies/Shackletonhead.jpg width="205" height="251"]] ||


 * ** EDURNE PASABAN : by Elena Sanz **

** Edurne Pasaban was born in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, 1 August in 1973. Besides being the first woman to complete the ascent of the 14 eight-thousanders on earth, she has a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Basque Country, a Masters in Human Resources Management from ESADE Business School and is Associate Professor at the Instituto de Empresa. ** ** As a result of this dedication and hard work she has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal for Sporting Merit and the Queen Sofia Prize for Best Sportsperson of the Year in 2011. **  ||


 * == //**Gerlinde Kaltenbrunnen**// (by: Ana Santero) ==

© Gerlinde Kaltenbrunnen born 13 December 1970, Kirchdorf an der krems (Austria). Is an Austrian mountaineer. In 2007, she married her mountaineering partner [|Ralf Dujmovits]. She lives in the [|Black Forest], [|Germany].

© Her interest in mountain climbing developed at a young age, and by the age of 13 she had completed climbing tours at the local [|Sturzhahn]. As she pursued her [|nursing] training in Austria and [|Vienna], she continued to hone her skills by participating in numerous [|ski] ice- and rock-climbing tours. At the age of 32, Gerlinde climbed her fourth 8000 m peak, [|Nanga Parbat], and decided to pursue professional mountain climbing full time.

© In august 2011, she climbs K2 (8.100 m) and she became the second woman to climb the fourteen eight-thousanders, and the first woman to do so without the use of supplementary oxygen or high altitude porters. ||~ || --- =**JUNKO TABEI**=
 * ====She is a Japanese mountain climber; she was the first woman to climb the Mount Everest. She was born in Fukushima on September 22, 1939. She has liked climbing since she was10; she climbed the Mount Nasu with a teacher. ====

====She studied <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> English <span style="font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">literature in the Showa Women's University, where she was a member of the mountain climbing club. She formed <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">the "Ladies Climbing Club" in 1969. She climbed the Mount Fuji, the Matterhom in the Swiss Alps. By 1972 she was a famous mountain climber. ====

====<span style="font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">She is famous for her Mount Everest expedition. A newspaper and a TV channel sent a women team to Nepal to climb Mount Everest. There were 15 women in the team. After a long training period, they began the expedition early in 1975 when they travelled to Kathmandu. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">They found nine local <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Sherpa] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> people to guide them. They used the same route Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. In early May the women were camping at 6,300 meters when an avalanche struck their camp. The women, including Junko and the guides, were buried under the snow. Tabei lost consciousness for approximately six minutes. Twelve days after the avalanche, Tabei became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Everest. ====

====<span style="font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">On 28 June 1992 Tabei finished the climb of Puncak Jaya to become the first woman to complete the Seven Summits. Now she works <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Century,serif; font-size: 12pt;">on ecological concerns, she is the director of Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan, an organization working on a global level to preserve mountain environments. ==== || ||