The Story Behind the 52-Year-Old Woman’s K2 Summit

A driven, patient, and injured Vanessa O’Brien becomes the oldest woman—and first American (also British) —to summit the Savage Mountain.

“Some mountaineers feel they get better with age,” says Peter Hackett, a physician and longtime altitude expert serving as the director of Telluride, Colorado’s Institute for Altitude Medicine. “The belief has less to do with any physiological effects of aging and more to do with behavioral effects. Older climbers might pace themselves better, or perhaps have better hydration regimens, or better ability to sleep. They have wisdom.”