The announcement took longer than expected and came as a surprise to Edurne Pasaban, who was enjoying a well-deserved beach holiday with friends. When the South Korean Federation broke the news, she could hardly believe it, though she admits "I told my friends how relieved this news made me feel. Relieved that my team and I weren't the only ones questioning Miss Oh's ascent."
Doubts first emerged in April about Oh Eun-Sun's summit of Kangchenjunga, as the sole photograph presented wasn't conclusive - it showed just a bare rock background. In contrast, Pasaban submitted a photo showing her entire team standing on the snowy summit. Furthermore, two of the three Sherpas who accompanied Oh stated she hadn't reached the top, which prompted the Federation to investigate.
With Miss Hawley's decisive ruling - the world mountaineering community's sole authority on validating ascents - the Basque climber feels vindicated. Hawley stated: "I'm sorry for Oh, but it appears her only option now is to return and climb it again." Evidence suggests the Korean climber never reached the summit, with even her national federation acknowledging this - South Korean broadcaster SBS aired a programme publicly questioning the claim.
The decision to reject Miss Oh's Kangchenjunga ascent followed a meeting of all Asian "eight-thousander" climbers, who examined the mountaineer's evidence. Ignacio Delgado, Pasaban's representative, explained that "there were simply too many doubts" to validate the summit.
Pasaban says she feels greater peace of mind now, as when she initially expressed doubts after completing her eight-thousanders, some questioned her motives. "Now it's clear this wasn't something I invented," she says, adding "these aren't just my claims - her own country is raising doubts."
The mountaineering world now awaits Miss Hawley's official recognition in coming days declaring Edurne Pasaban as the first woman to conquer all fourteen eight-thousanders.
