By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

Oh Eun-sun, 44, is taking the final steps in becoming the first woman in the world to conquer the 14 highest peaks ― all above 8,000 meters ― in the Himalayas.

At a press conference at the headquarters of her sponsor, Black Yak, Friday, Oh said she will challenge Annapurna (8,091 meters) starting April 25. "I will continue trying to climb the peak until mid-May if I fail at the first attempt," she said.

The eight-member expedition led by Oh will leave for Katmandu, Nepal next Monday and adjust to the environment before attempting to conquer the peak at the end of April.

After adjusting for the altitude, the expedition plans to set up its first base camp at 5,600 meters around early April; the second at 6,800 meters in mid-April; and attempt the summit toward the end of the month.

Oh will climb via the North Buttress Route without oxygen.

She had already tried to reach the summit of Annapurna last autumn, but failed due to bad weather.

Oh started climbing the Himalayas in 1997 on the 8,035-meter-high Gasherbrum II. She also became the first Asian woman to conquer Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world, in 2004.

Last year, she ascended four mountains without oxygen ― Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters), Dhaulagiri I (8,167 meters), Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters) and Gasherbrum I (8,068 meters).

If she successfully conquers Annapurna, Oh - after 13 years of climbing - will be the first woman to climb all of the peaks higher than 8,000 meters.

Oh's rival Edurne Pasaban of Spain, who has taken 12 peaks, is also challenging the Korean for her remaining two summits ― the 8,027-meter Shishapangma and Annapurna, this spring.

The first climber to top all 14 mountains was Reinhold Messner of Italy in 1986. Korean climbers who have achieved the same feat are Park Young-seok, Eum Hong-gil and Han Wang-yong.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr