Edurne Pasaban
Completed the 14 eight-thousanders in 9 years, the first woman to summit all peaks above 8,000 meters and document the psychological toll.
Born 1973 (age 53)·Spanish Basque mountaineer·Birthday: August 1·Generation X
Biography
Edurne Pasaban stood on the summit of Annapurna on May 17, 2010, securing her fourteenth and final eight-thousander. She began the project on Everest in 2001 and finished it in 9 years, 1 month, and 17 days. The Basque mountaineer from Tolosa used supplemental oxygen on all ascents, a point of contention she addressed directly in her 2010 autobiography, 'Cumbres de la Vida.' Pasaban survived a severe bout of depression after her 2004 Nanga Parbat descent, detailing the episode in media interviews. She summited Shishapangma twice, first in 2005 and again in 2010 after the initial climb faced verification disputes. Her team required a helicopter evacuation from Kangchenjunga’s base camp in 2009 following an avalanche. Pasaban founded the clothing brand 'Edurne Pasaban' and serves as a technical advisor for the Spanish Mountaineering Federation. She lectures on leadership and risk management, framing high-altitude climbing as a series of logistical and psychological problems.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Edurne was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Edurne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Edurne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman to summit all 14 mountains over 8,000 meters, completing the feat on May 17, 2010, with Annapurna.
- Authored the autobiography 'Cumbres de la Vida' (2010), detailing her climbs and struggles with depression.
- Served as the leader of the 'All 14' project, coordinating logistics and funding for nine years of expeditions.
Did You Know?
Pasaban is a trained industrial engineer and applies project management principles to expedition planning.
She summited Mount Everest on her first attempt in 2001, without prior eight-thousander experience.
Pasaban keeps a collection of rocks from the summit of each of the 14 eight-thousanders in her home in Tolosa.
“The most difficult mountain is not a physical one, but the one you have inside.”
