|
Climbing History Lydia began climbing in 1976 with an ascent of Mt Aspiring, Tititea in New Zealand. She made ascents of Zurbriggan’s Ridge and then the East Ridge and Grand Traverse on Aoraki, Mt Cook, just after her 18th birthday. During the next summer, Lydia made the first female ascent of the Balfour Face on Tasman. In 1981 Lydia left New Zealand for Alaska, attempting the American Direct on the South Face of Mt McKinley/Denali, the highest peak in North America. In the Early ‘80s In Yosemite Valley, California, USA, Lydia made ascents of 10 ‘Big Walls’, climbs taking 4-10 days, including a second ascent of Sunkist (A5+) and making 7 first female ascents of some of the hardest Aid (“Artificial”) climbs in the Valley at that time. In 1984, Lydia took part in a British Expedition attempting first ascent of South Face and the first female ascent in total of Cho-Oyu, 8201m, the sixth highest mountain in the world. The expedition reached 8000m, retreating from a large band of rotten rock. The BBC made a documentary of the climb. In 1985 Lydia climbed rock in Australia and returned to New Zealand to climb in almost every National Park in the South Island, including making the second female ascent, and probably a new route on the Balfour Face of Mt Tasman, New Zealand’s second highest peak. In the 1986 pre-monsoon season Lydia and friends made a small trekking-climbing trip to India to peaks around 18,000ft, in the Himachal Pradesh region. In the 1986 post-monsoon season, Lydia again joined a British expedition to attempt the first ascent of the highest mountain in Bhutan, Ghankar Punsum, 7555m, reaching 7200m. Storms forced a military evacuation of the region, and a documentary was made of the climb and featured in the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The mountain remains unclimbed. “the biggest epic” 1987 India, Uttar Pradesh. Lydia was part of a small expedition with Jon Muir (Australia) to attempt first traverse of Kedarnath Dome, Kedarnath Peak and another third un-named mountain. Storms and avalanches curtailed ascent of the latter two mountains, with only Kedarnath Dome 6775m. The East Face of Kedarnath peak was descended in a storm, “the biggest epic” of Lydia’s life. The 8000'ers In 1987 Lydia, another Kiwi, an Australian and two Basques climbed Gasherbrum II 8035m, alpine style, in three and a half days, in very deep snow. Initially attempted they Gasherbrum I, 8048m but extreme avalanche conditions forced most of expedition to retreat. Lydia became the first Australasian woman to climb one of the world’s fourteen 8000m mountains. This may have been the first alpine-style and oxygen-free ascent of an 8000m peak by a woman. In 1988, Lydia joined three other New Zealanders on an expedition to climb both K2, 8611m, Pakistan, via the Abruzzi Spur, and then the SW Ridge of Everest, 8848m. Within ten days of arrival at K2 Base Camp, the team reached a high point of 730om. They made a total of six trips to 6800m and 7300m, the summit attempts thwarted by bad weather. The team went immediately on to Everest. Everest In 1988, Lydia reached the summit of Everest via the SW ridge, alone, and without bottled O2. Lydia is the first woman in the world to climb Everest without oxygen. To date, she remains the only New Zealander to climb Everest without oxygen. Mountain Guiding Lydia began working as a mountain guide at the end of 2000. Over 2001 – 2005, Lydia organised and guided four climbing and adventure trips to climb Mt Khuiten, 4350m, and many other 4000m mountains, in Outer Mongolia. Lydia successfully guided Cho-Oyu 8201m, in 2004, for Himalayan Experience. Immediately after climbing Cho-Oyu, Lydia and Dean Staples attempted Cholatse, 6440m, in the Khumbu, and were “snowed off”. In 2005 Lydia rock climbed in Thailand, and went on to meet the Queen of Nepal, and the Crown Prince and Princess at a three day celebration of “Women On Everest” Commemoration ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, where her ascent of Everest was officially recognised. Lydia successfully guided Aconcagua 6759m, Argentina, in Jan-Feb 2006. In June and July she made a personal rock climbing and alpine climbing trip to Spain and France. She then went to Peru to guide five mountains including an ascent of Alpamayo. Lydia skied and climbed in the French Alps early in 2007, guided a climb of Lobuche East (5800m) in the Khumbu returning to New Zealand to join her girlfriend Pat Deavoll on an expedition to Pakistan in June 07. Lydia and Pat attempted the first ascent of Breka Brakkai Chhok, 6940m, reaching 5900m. They went on to make the first ascent of a 5800m peak they called Wahine Shar; the Maori word for “Woman”, the Urdu word for Mountain. In May 2008 Lydia guided Everest via the South Col for Adventure Consultants, NZ. It was a unique opportunity to have experienced Everest, both alone, without oxygen and with no fixed ropes on the summit day, and then to climb it again, superbly supported by sherpas, using oxygen, and with ropes to the summit! In 2009 Lydia travelled to Sichuan, China, and with two Americans and a Kiwi woman, attempted the first ascent of an unclimbed 6114m peak, Nyambo Konka, climbing the East face and retreating from the summit ridge in a storm. Lydia and Penny went on to make the first ascent of a 5010m peak in a remote valley west of Chengdu. In July – mid September 2009, Lydia travelled to Canada with her partner Dean Staples, to work as a guide and then do some personal climbing. They made ascents of several rock routes on peaks in the Rockies, some up to 18 pitches long, finishing abseiling in the dark. in October 09 Lydia successfully guided a private client on Ama Dablam, 6856m, the “Matterhorn of the Himalaya”, near Everest. Lydia lives in Lake Hawea, near Wanaka, New Zealand, with her partner Dean Staples, a UIAGM/IFMGA Guide who has guided Everest six times, and has climbed and skied in many countries. In February, 2010, Penny Goddard and Dean Staples and Lydia embark on a personal adventure! They sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, down to the Antarctic Peninsula to make the first ascent of the coveted West Ridge of Mt Parry, Brabant Island. This will be an exciting experience, not the least, the challenge of landing on the island! She is planning to participate on many more adventures. |