She also climbed Mount Everest in 1976, although she didn’t summit.īlum attempted a 2,000-mile traverse of the Himalayas before becoming a mom, at which point she “stopped doing life-threatening things.”Īrlene Blum stands in front of Mount Everest during a successful 1976 expedition. Two other women died on the mountain.īlum was also part of the first all-woman team to climb Mount Denali in 1970. With 35% of all Annapurna’s would-be climbers dying, the mountain’s death rate makes Mount Everest (3.87 %) look like a playground.īlum didn’t summit, although some in her party did. The tag line of the trip? “A woman’s place is on top.”Īt that time only eight people, all men, had climbed 26,545-foot Annapurna. In 1978, she led an all-woman’s team to Annapurna, often called the world’s most dangerous mountain. For the climbers out there, it’s a good chance to meet one of the pioneers of the sport. 21 at an event hosted by the Spokane Mountaineers. “I like to say what I’m doing now, working to reduce harmful chemicals and producers in the world, is harder and more dangerous and more rewarding than perhaps climbing the world’s most dangerous peak,” she said.īlum will talk about her climbing career, and her work to reduce the use of toxic chemicals on Jan. Reducing the production and use of harmful chemicals. Now, years after retiring from the risky game of high-altitude Himalayan climbing, Blum finds herself facing perhaps an even more daunting challenge: She’s also witnessed firsthand the raw beauty of a sunrise above 20,000 feet and basked in the glow of success after summiting some of the world’s toughest peaks. Been sickened and injured herself and had to make life-or-death decisions. Arlene Blum has suffered and reaped the rewards.īagging the world’s tallest peaks, she’s seen friends and teammates die.

A woman's place is on top annapurna