She`s a lady - even on Everest

Derry Journal
By By Erin Hutcheon

She may have become famous as Northern Ireland`s first woman to conquer Everest, but a little known fact about Hannah Shields is that she was also the first woman to summit the mountain with full lipstick and her Paloma Picasso perfume on.
"There`s nothing glamorous about climbing," said Hannah.
"But I`m a lady. And everywhere I go I always have my lippie and perfume in my rucksack."

It`s a month since dentist Hannah returned from her mammoth climb of Mount Everest. Three years ago she had to abandon her first attempt 100 metres from the summit when her hands froze up.

"I`m relieved to have it over me," said Hannah.

"Everest may be 8,843 metres high, but I was there for the last 100 metres.100 metres doesn`t sound like a lot but to me it was everything. I went back to prove to myself I could do it."

Hannah says that at no point would she have ever considered gambling with safety on the mountain.

"People think mountaineers have a death wish, when the opposite is true. We are very analytical and cautious. You have to be. One tiny mistake and it could be a matter of life and death.

"If at any stage my team and I had been worried we would have turned back. You need a healthy fear and respect for the mountain. On the day I summited, someone died right next to my tent. That was a very sobering moment and reinforced in my own head that if any time I was really worried I would turn around."

And as the only woman in her team Hannah was determined to pull her weight on the climb.

"There`s a lot of hauling carrying your oygen and rucksack," she said. "It takes 5-6 weeks for your body to adjust to the lack of oxygen which is why we had to climb in stages, resting was the hardest part for me. Most of my team couldn`t speak English and while I had great fun, there were many times I felt lonely. I`m a very sociable person and it was hard not having anyone to talk to."

Hannah made her final push for the summit at 11.30 p.m. on a cold Friday night.

"We had watched other people head for the summit but we stayed behind," said Hannah.

"It was too dangerous. On the north side there`s a difficult step called the second step where you can`t pass anybody. If you get stuck on that you can get cold, so we waited.

"We made our final push in extreme cold in the middle of the night. At one point my hands went numb and very cold. I panicked and thought history was repeating itself.

"But we worked at it and eventually my hands came round.
"When I reached the second step my contact lense froze to my eye, and I panicked again. But I told myself I could still see out of one eye and on I went.
"When I got to the summit the sun was just rising over the clouds. I felt utter relief. I said to myself: you can go home now Hannah.
"I didn`t celebrate anything until I got back down and got all my texts from my friends and family.

"I had some fluid in my lungs but made it to base camp in about three and a half days.

"My sister Maria was waiting for me and she was able to get the word out that I`d made it.

"When I came home I couldn`t believe the reception I`d got. It`s great for mountaineering and great for athletics which I love."

While she`s still recovering Hannah`s now back at work and is already planning her next expedition to the North Pole.

"With two arms, two legs and a beating heart I can`t stay still," she said.

"The trip next year will be my hardest ever, but I`m going for it. It will take 2-3 months and I`ll have to haul 8-9 times my body weight behind me before skiing over the sea ice to the Geographic North Pole. "I can`t wait."