Alpina ambassadress Melissa Arnot creates mountaineering record
Professional American climber and Alpina Watches ambassadress, Melissa Arnot, became the first American woman to summit the Everest and survive the descent without supplemental oxygen on May 23, 2016. Climbing the 29,035ft peak’s northeast ridge from Tibet, the expedition marked the sixth Everest summit for Arnot.
A professional mountain guide, working internationally since 2004,Arnot had been trying to conquer the Everest without oxygen for years. She came incredibly close in 2013 when she and her climbing partner, Tshering Dorje Sherpa, made it to 27,900ft, where they encountered an unresponsive Sherpa.
They remained to assist him for an hour. By the time they continued their ascent, Arnot was too cold to safely proceed without supplemental oxygen. She again travelled to Nepal to attempt an ascent in 2015, but the catastrophic April 25 earthquake ended the climbing season early.
On May 23, 2016, Arnot finally achieved the goals she had set herself and been working hard on for years. Ascending to the summit of Everest requires supplemental oxygen for the vast majority of climbers. Less than 200 out of 4,000 climbers who have climbed the Everest have done it without breathing bottled oxygen. Above 26,000ft, in what’s known as “the death zone,” most people need to use tanks of supplemental oxygen in order to maintain circulation, stay warm, and maintain mental and motor skills.
Melissa Arnot was wearing the Alpina Horological Smartwatch during the challenge to monitor her activity and sleep.
