All posts for Year: 2015

Guinness World Records 2015

December 31, 2015/in Recognition /by Vanessa O'Brien

Advice on Nutrition and Staying in Shape

December 1, 2015/in Health & Fitness /by Vanessa O'Brien

Climbing Advice on Overcoming Fears and Fitness

December 1, 2015/in Health & Fitness /by Vanessa O'Brien

UK Home Secretary Praises Women

November 3, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Frostbite and Frozen Bodies: A Few of the Obstacles facing Everest

October 5, 2015/in Explorers Grand Slam /by Vanessa O'Brien

10 Fitness Tips From a Guinness World Record Holder

October 1, 2015/in Health & Fitness /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien Brings Back Glacier Samples from K2

September 22, 2015/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien to Join Tim Jarvis to Climb for Climate Change

September 14, 2015/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

On Pakistan and Climbing K2

September 5, 2015/in Pakistan /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien Says Climbers Unprepared For K2

August 22, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

What Climbing K2 is Really Like

August 13, 2015/in Pakistan /by Vanessa O'Brien

The Importance of Sports for Women & Girls

August 12, 2015/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

How Sports Advances Women in Society

August 9, 2015/in Pakistan /by Vanessa O'Brien

Weather Ends Quest for K2 History

July 26, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien Climbs K2 to Become First American Woman

July 16, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien Attempts K2

July 9, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

What Vanessa O’Brien Will Be Up Against Climbing K2

July 8, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien To Be First US Woman to Summit K2

July 8, 2015/in Interviews /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien to Attempt K2

July 7, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Record Holder in Pakistan to Climb K2

July 1, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien to Climb Fifth 8,000-meter Peak

June 19, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien to Attempt K2

June 8, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

Why Female Guides are Great at High Altitude

June 1, 2015/in Interviews /by Vanessa O'Brien

First American Woman to Attempt K2

April 15, 2015/in K2 /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien to Attempt Killer K2

April 6, 2015/in Interviews /by Vanessa O'Brien

About Vanessa O’Brien

Vanessa O’Brien is a British female mountaineer and an American female mountaineer (as a result of her dual nationality), explorer, aquanaut, astronaut, author, and public speaker.

Her story of overcoming adversity and transformation unfolds in her book, To The Greatest Heights: Facing Danger, Finding Humility and Climbing A Mountain of Truth, Simon and Schuster (2021), described by many readers as one the most honest and riveting adventure autobiographies ever written.

Vanessa has an incredible six Guinness World Records: Only, First, Fastest, Deepest, Farthest and Oldest. Vanessa is the only woman to reach extremes on land, sea, and air (the Explorers' Extreme Trifecta) following her mission on Blue Origin's NS-22 to 107km. Vanessa was the first woman to reach earth’s highest and lowest points, (Mt. Everest 8,848m) and (Challenger Deep 10,925m), with the latter being deeper than Mt. Everest is tall. She is the fastest woman to climb the Seven Summits in 295 days, and the first person to reach nearest to and farthest from the earth's core (Challenger Deep and the summit of Chimborazo.)

Vanessa is the first woman to complete the Four Poles Challenge, going the farthest north * south * east * west from the top of Everest to the bottom of Challenger Deep to skiing the last degree to the geographic North and South Poles. She holds the record for the oldest woman to summit K2, the second tallest peak, at 52 years old.

Vanessa became the first American or British woman to successfully summit K2, receiving Explorer of the Year by the Scientific Exploration Society (SES) in 2018. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an Honorary Advisory Board member of the SES.

Vanessa summitted the highest peak on every continent, receiving a Guinness World Record for the fastest time a woman first achieved this goal (295 days.) Vanessa has skied the last 111 km to the north and south poles completing the Explorers Grand Slam in 11 months, the first woman to do so in under a year, and the 8th woman in the world. Vanessa ran the Boston Marathon in 2017, helping to raise money for the American Red Cross, has been shot testing bulletproof vests with a .38 long revolver at point blank range, and rode 200 mph with Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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