B.Gangaamaa: I told my mother I wouldn’t go to K2 but I reached its summit
State Honored Athlete and international sports master B.Gangaamaa has returned to Mongolia. Previously, we reported that the mountaineer became the first Mongolian to climb the second highest summit in the world.
Though in height the summit is second after Mount Everest, the K2 summit is a deadly one where many mountain climbers of the world faced their deaths as it is steep and tough to climb.
The Secretary General of the Mongolian Mountain Climbers Association said, “B.Gangaamaa’s body is small but her will is large.” Her accomplishments are not only applauded in Mongolia but internationally.
B.Gangaamaa discovered the sport of mountain climbing 27 years ago. She is from Zavkhan Province’s Ikh Uul soum. In 1989, when she was a middle school student, she joined Zavkhan
Province’s sports club and went to climb Otgontenger Mountain. As an adventurous amateur mountaineer, she asked to join a team of climbers, and was told, “Teacher Nandin decides. Go meet her.”
The teacher told her to be careful and to climb as advised. This was when she decided to pursue mountaineering.
B.Gangaamaa studied microbiology at university and has worked at the Inspection Agency of Zavkhan Province for nine years. Throughout the years, the mountaineers said that the mountains were calling out to her. Inspired by her dreams, she has followed the path of mountain climbing and switched to the tourism sector. Later on, she studied business at the Mongolian National University and became a trainer for mountaineers.
In 2013, B.Gangaamaa attempted to climb K2 and has left from the journey. The following year, she has started preparing and gathered a team of international mountain climbers. Mongolians are extremely proud of the climber as she became the first from the country to successfully set foot on top of the K2 summit.
B.Gangaamaa is also a Seven Summiteer, meaning she climbed the top summits on each continent in the world.
2010- European Elbrus
2011- Asian Everest
2012- African Kilimanjaro 2015- North American Denali 2016- South American Aconcagua 2016- Australian Kosciuszko 2016- Antarctica Vinson Massif 2018- K2 Summit
B.Gangaamaa gave an interview about her voyage to K2.
Was climbing the infamous K2 summit troublesome?
It is a great summit.
What was the weather condition like when you were climbing?
When we got there and set up camp, the weather was nice. However, right as we were about to climb, the condition got really bad. We couldn't set the ropes since the last and forth camp. We were based at the third camp waiting for the weather to clear but we got a report telling us that we can’t set the ropes and all climbers should return to base.
Then our sherpa (guide) said, “I will go up to IV camp and see the condition there,” and left. As our team members were packing and preparing to leave, the sherpa came back and said there is no problem and asked what I thought on the matter, “Gangaa do you want to climb or go down?” I replied saying, “What, going down? We’re climbing”.
Afterwards, the sherpa and I met each team member individually. It was difficult to persuade the climbers in our team from Switzerland and Ireland. I said, “Even if it is stormy, as long as we set the path correctly, we can go up.”
The depth of the snow was about six meters and 50 meters of it below was hardened. Our teammates agreed and we had reached the Bottleneck. To be frank, as we were going up I was thinking to myself, “What have I done”.
Maybe because it was dark, I was scared. We only had one rope and if it breaks then we all fall. There wasn’t a single slant that was less slanted than 80 degrees. Some of the places were straight up 90 degrees.
I was more scared than tired and I lost my balance sometimes. I lost my footing once. While climbing Mount Everest, if the climbers lost their footing, then they will only fall to the ground because it isn’t as steep as K2 where we could fall to the bottom if we make one wrong step.
Did all members of your team reach the top?
Our team had 10 people and everyone reached the top. We were a team composed of mountain climbers from eight countries. There were two Chinese and two Japanese members. The others were from their countries. Half the members were female, but the other team had one female so there were a total of six women.
The members of our team became the first Latin American woman, first from Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and Mongolia to reach the top of K2. The Japanese woman from our team became the second woman from her country to have climbed K2.
A lot of women headed to K2 this year. The total number of women who climbed K2 has become 26 or 27. A total of 227 people climbed the mountain but the number of those that died while trying is not few.
In recent years, the number of people heading for K2 has increased. The record for the most amount of people to go to K2 was 28 in 2012, but our team was made up of 31 people.
You drink dumpling milk tea well.
I wanted to eat dumplings and drink tea so I didn't eat anything on the plane.
Secretary General of the Mongolian Mountain Climbers Association Bayaraa had worked in his position for 30 years. Before I left for K2, he said, “Be careful when you go down K2.” Then I told him that he is talking about how I should go down when I haven't even gone up.
After our team reached the summit, we went down in a hurry. Some stopped at II camp, but some left altogether. I stayed at IV camp with the Japanese climber. Due to how I was holding the rope all the time, my arms were exhausted. I thought what if I go at night and my arm slips. The Japanese teammate was thinking why we are sleeping instead of going down.
The next day, we went down at our
own pace.
You have gotten past some hefty work. Are you going to rest now?
I am going to rest for 10 days and get back to work. When I left for K2 in 2013, my mother was extremely worried. For instance, in the past, she used to say, “Okay. Have a safe journey,” and didn't say anything else, but in 2013, she said, “As long as I am alive don't do to that mountain again and make me suffer.” I responded saying, “Okay, I won’t go.”, but on the inside I was thinking, “I will go”.
Did you suffer the change in altitude?
It was okay. My teammates prepared for K2 by going to Everest and other mountains. When they told me that I was worried because they already had gone through altitude training. I thought before climbing, I would just go up and down a part of the mountain twice for practice.
I told my teammates that I want to go up and down twice before starting K2, but then they said you climbed mountains all spring. They knew that I climbed Elbrus, which is 5,000 meters. Up until II camp, I went up 6,800 meters which prepared me for the altitude.
You camped a lot on the way there and way back.
On the way to the mountain, we camped five times and three on the way back. We returned by helicopter and paid the army costs. If people don’t pay, they don't care even if people are dying there. The price is very high. To ensure safety, people leave in pairs. The cost was 30,000 USD.
...A lot of women headed to K2 this year. The total number of women who climbed K2 has become 26 or 27. A total of 227 people climbed the mountain but the number of those that died while
trying is not few...