2015 Presentation: Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

After climbing her first major peak, the 2,028-meter Sturzhahn, at the age of 13 in her home country, Austrian-born alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was hooked on mountaineering. She has since racked up a jaw-dropping list of achievements that have landed her squarely in the canon of climbing legends.

As a young climber, her greatest dream — climbing an 8,000-meter peak — came true at the age of 23 when she climbed Broad Peak in Pakistan. Kaltenbrunner then proceeded to surpass her dream when she became the first woman to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. She completed this achievement when she reached the top of K2, Earth’s second-tallest mountain, in August 2011 and was named National Geographic’s Explorer of the Year as a result.

Kaltenbrunner, who trained as a nurse before becoming a professional athlete, put up ascents everywhere from Denali to Annapurna and Ama Dablam. Her passion, however, isn’t solely the high mountains: It’s just as much people and their different cultures and religions that touch and enchant her.