Mt Everest without Fear

The first woman Everest climber was Junko Tabei [1975], a Japanese student & mother, who wrote two books called “Everest Mama-san” & “Yama-o-tanoshimu – Enjoying Mountains” both in Japanese.

She prefers to be known as: "I'm a free spirit. Call me the free spirit of the mountains.” Her comments on climbing are understated:

"I can't understand why men make all this fuss about Everest — it's only a mountain."

"Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top — it is the will power that is the most important. This will power you cannot buy with money or be given by others — it rises from your heart."

“The mountain teaches me a lot of things. It makes me realize how trivial my personal problems are,"

In the last fifty years, more than 75 women have climbed the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. Of these, only five have ever climbed the summit of K2 since 1954 and have since died. Three women - Wanda Rutkiewicz of Poland, Julie Tullis of Britain, and Liliane Barrard of France – were the first three women to stand on the summit. Unfortunately, Julie and Liliane died on the descent. All three were climbing without extra oxygen. Julie Tullis, from Britain, was a black belt in Karate, a teacher, a mother, and an award winning filmmaker. She died of exposure descending K2 in 1986. Only twelve women have ascended Nanga Parbat in the last 50 years. Of them, two were climbers of K2: Wanda Rutkeiwicz from Poland and Liliane Barrard from France. Liliane was the first woman to summit Nanga Parbat in 1984.

Sue Fear, 43, of Sydney, was the second Australian woman to climb Mount Everest and is a friend of Australian mountaineer Lincoln Hall, who was rescued from the mountain at the weekend after being presumed dead.

A rescue team is being organised to search for her on the 8156-metre Mount Manaslu in Nepal, which she was climbing with Nepali Bishnu Gurung.

But DFAT said Ms Fear, who had been awarded an Order of Australia in 2005 for her achievements in mountaineering and her work for the Fred Hollows Foundation, had been confirmed dead.

Ms Fear's family had been informed of her death, a spokeswoman said.

"Apparently the woman died after falling into a crevasse while descending the summit of Mt Manaslu," she said. "The Australian embassy in Kathmandu is seeking further information and consular assistance has been offered to the woman's family in Australia.''

A close friend of Ms Fear's, who did not wish to be named, said Ms Fear and Bishnu Gurung reached the summit of the mountain yesterday, but on the descent she fell into a crevasse.

"It's understood Bishnu was able to climb out and descend to camp four, where he placed a call to base camp," she said.

The friend said Ms Fear was a "very sensible and calculating climber", who has already scaled four of the world's 8000 metre-plus peaks.

"She is Australia's leading female climber, holding the highest number of 8000 metre peaks - this was going to be her fifth 8000 metre peak," she said.

Mr Hall wrote a book with Ms Fear about her life and climb of Everest called Fear No Boundary which was published last year.

She was Australian Geographic's Adventurer of the Year in 2003.

Prior to her climb, Ms Fear told Australian Geographic Mt Manaslu had experienced excessive snowfalls and strong winds, which added to the "already daunting challenge".

Ms Fear had been climbing the mountain via the "standard" north-east route, the magazine's website said.

She was sharing a permit with four others: an Austrian, and a Japanese party including Junko Tabei, the first women to climb Mt Everest, in 1975, it said.

1979: The first woman, Hannelore Schmatz, dies on Everest descending from the Summit after becoming only the 4th woman to Summit Everest. And more mountain trivia here.