All Posts for Publication: Scientific And Exploration Society

Posts

SES Endorses Global Plastics Survey

April 4, 2025/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

Dr. Jane Goodall and Vanessa O’Brien feature in Awesome Women Card Game

March 24, 2024/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien Joins Blue Origin NS-22

January 2, 2023/in Space /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien Recognized by State of New York

December 31, 2021/in Nepal /by Vanessa O'Brien

SES Recommends O’Brien’s To The Greatest Heights

December 31, 2021/in Book /by Vanessa O'Brien

SES Member Becomes First British Woman to Bottom of Challenger Deep

December 31, 2020/in Challenger Deep /by Vanessa O'Brien

SES Welcomes O’Brien as Honorary Advisory Board Member

December 31, 2020/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

SES Welcomes Four New Honorary Advisory Board Members

July 17, 2020/in Affiliations /by Vanessa O'Brien

Vanessa O’Brien Receives SES Explorer Award

December 31, 2018/in Recognition /by Vanessa O'Brien

Top Exploration Tips

December 31, 2018/in Health & Fitness /by Vanessa O'Brien

SES 2018 Award Winners

December 31, 2018/in Recognition /by Vanessa O'Brien

O’Brien Presents K2 The Final Conquest to SES Members

October 30, 2018/in Affiliations /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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