Everest Expeditions:
– In 1996, eight climbers died in a severe blizzard during the First South African Everest Expedition.
– Climbers Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were among the fatalities.
– Cathy O’Dowd was part of the expedition and reached the summit on 25 May 1996.
– One member of the party, Bruce Herrod, died on the descent.
– His body was found the following year by an Indonesian expedition.
North Ridge Route:
– In 1998, O’Dowd attempted the north side of Everest and encountered a collapsed American climber, Francys Arsentiev.
– Despite efforts to help, they had to turn around before reaching the summit.
– O’Dowd successfully climbed Everest from both the north and south sides in 1999.
– In 2000, she became the fourth woman to summit Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain.
– She shared her experience on BBC Radio in November 2009.
East Face Route:
– In 2003, O’Dowd made an unsuccessful attempt at a new route up the east face of Everest.
Other Expeditions:
– In 2004, O’Dowd joined a dog-sled expedition through the Norwegian Arctic.
– She has climbed mountains across Africa, South America, the Alps, and the Himalayas.
– O’Dowd is an active mountaineer, rock climber, and skier.
– She married Ian Woodall, the leader of the First South African Everest Expedition, in 2001.
– They currently reside in Andorra in the Pyrenees.
Books:
– O’Dowd co-authored “Everest: Free To Decide” with Ian Woodall in 1998.
– She authored “Just for the love of it” in 2001.
– The first book details their Everest expedition.
– The second book likely covers her personal mountaineering experiences.
See Also:
– Biography portal and South Africa portal are related resources.
– Lists of Mount Everest summiters by frequency and century are additional references.
Official Site – Cathy O’Dowd: mountain climber, motivational speaker, author (cathyodowd.com)
