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Himalayas, Memoirs, Mountains, Climbing & mountaineering
From laid-off Finance Director to record-breaking mountain climber, one woman's extraordinary journey up the world's most challenging and dangerous mountains.
'What a wonderful, honest, refreshing book, full of free-spirited adventure, humour and profound thoughts to provide inspiration to anyone who simply dreams of getting out and doing their own thing' SIR CHRIS BONINGTON
'Ernest Shackleton listed those qualities an explorer should possess over a century ago: optimism, patience, idealism with imagination, and courage. Vanessa's qualities are truly akin to these' ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON
When Vanessa O'Brien was made redundant in 2008 as part of the recession, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband for his career and resigned herself to being 'just the wife'. There she was, aged 46, bored, uninspired, unemployed. Was this going to be how she was going to live the rest of her life?
One night in the infamous Kee Club, over shots of tequila, a friend suggested O'Brien climb Everest, and that was the start of an epic journey she never looked back from as she climbed Everest, K2 and many other mountains.
This is her inspirational story. As O'Brien says, she couldn't explain to her readers how she got to the top of K2 at the age of 52 without being honest about what came before. In To the Greatest Heights, she reveals the trials and tribulations of her difficult childhood, and the result is a life-affirming book that shows how she achieved these climbs in spite of and because of her past.
To read To the Greatest Heights is to know that there is a path to overcoming the worst of what happens to us, a path that helps us reach the summit of our lives too, whatever our age.
Praise for To the Greatest Heights
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What a wonderful, honest, refreshing book, full of free-spirited adventure, humour and profound thoughts to provide inspiration to anyone who simply dreams of getting out and doing their own thing - Sir Chris Bonington
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Ernest Shackleton listed those qualities an explorer should possess over a century ago: optimism, patience, idealism with imagination, and courage. Vanessa's qualities are truly akin to these - Alexandra Shackleton
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O'Brien's story is deep in insight and observation. An impressive read - Peter Hillary, Chairman of the Himalayan Trust
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To The Greatest Heights is a modern-day version of Dick Bass's book, but on steroids. A must read - Forbes magazine
Vanessa O'Brien
Vanessa O'Brien is a British-American mountain climber, explorer, public speaker and former business executive. As a result of her dual nationalities, she simultaneously became the first American woman and the first British woman to climb K2 on July 28, 2017 when, on her third attempt, she successfully led a team of 12 members to the summit and back. In 2018, she received Explorer of the Year from the Scientific Exploration Society for her efforts. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Scientific Exploration Society (SES). It was recently announced that Vanessa will be taking part in the rocket system New Shepard's 22nd space flight. She will become the first woman to reach extremes on land, sea, and air, completing the Explorers' Extreme Trifecta, a Guinness World Record.
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