SA mountain climber Katie Sarah becomes first woman on earth to complete the fabled seven-seven peaks

Katie Sarah has only been climbing for 12 years, but she’s already achieved one of mountaineering’s most challenging feats.

WHEN Katie Sarah took her final step onto the snowy summit of Antarctica’s Mt Sidley on January 14 she joined an elite club. So elite, in fact, that she’s the only member.

The 49-year-old Adelaide mother-of-three is the first woman on earth to have climbed the highest peak on all seven continents as well as the seven highest volcanic peaks.

It’s a challenge known in mountaineering as The Seven Seven and only seven other climbers – all of them men – have achieved the feat.

Incredibly, Sarah had never even climbed a serious mountain until 2006 (the 6542m Nevado Sajama in Bolivia).

Mountaineer Katie Sarah training at Vertical Reality Climbing, Holden Hill. Picture: Michael Marschall

Katie Sarah on the 4285 metre tall Mount Sidley. Picture: Supplied

Sarah battled icy, windy conditions and temperatures that plummeted to as low as -30c to reach the top of the 4285m Mt Sidley, a mountain located so deep in the Antarctic wilderness that it’s an expedition just to get there.

“Climbing in Antarctica is a massive logistical journey,” Sarah, who also summited Vinson Massive on the frozen continent as part of the Seven Summits, said.

“To climb Mt Sidley you fly down on a Russian cargo plane and land on blue ice. Then it’s another five hour flight from the base to the mountain.”

Climbers are accompanied by a back-up pilot and an aircraft mechanic, such are the dangers of being stranded in such a remote and inhospitable location.

“Camping in the crater of the volcano in Antarctica, almost 1000km away from any other humans, was extraordinary,” Sarah said.

“Knowing that fewer than 40 people have ever climbed it in the millions of years it has existed is quite awe-inspiring.

“I’ve always had a fascination with volcanoes – I just think they are such stunning and raw parts of our planet.”

Sarah climbed five of the seven volcanoes in just over a year, and said the challenge forced her to travel to fascinating parts of the globe well off the beaten track.

“Climbing these amazing volcanoes, each of them very different, gave me a reason to travel to some of the world’s most remote and exciting places and meet incredible people,” she said.

“Oddly, Iran was a highlight with the people very friendly and welcoming.”

Sarah said each peak had its own unique challenges, with even Australia’s humble Mt Kosciuszko – by far the smallest of the mountains – throwing up its own dangers.

“All up, Mt Everest is probably the hardest just because it takes so long and because of the dangers associated with its height,” she said.

Top of the world: Katie Sarah with Sherpa Lhakpa at the summit of Mt Everest.

“Climbing Everest is a full expedition. But Denali (aka Mt McKinley, in Alaska – the highest peak in North America), for example, is a seriously tough peak and I climbed that with just two of my friends. On that trip we had to take care of everything ourselves – the food, setting up the camp and that kind of thing.

“Even Kosciuszko had snakes that we had to dodge. At one point we had to wait for ten minutes for a snake to get off the path.”

Many people would put their feet up and take a well-deserved rest after achieving such an amazing milestone, but the Toorak Gardens adventure tour operator is already planning her next adventures.

“I’ll be celebrating my 50th birthday in September on top of Manaslu in Nepal (at 8163m it’s the eighth-highest mountain on Earth),” she said.

“We’ll be using oxygen canisters, so I don’t think we’ll be lighting any candles.

“But beyond that, I’d really love to have a crack at the two poles, North and South.

“I love dogs, so a week of skiing and dogs, that sounds like... Well, my idea of fun anyway.”

Katie Sarah pictured on Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.