Vanessa O’Brien

Vanessa Audi Rhys O'Brien is a British and American mountaineer, explorer, aquanaut, author and former business executive. On June 12, 2020, O'Brien became the first woman to reach Earth's highest and lowest points, receiving a Guinness World Record. She became the first American woman to climb K2 and the first British woman to climb K2 (as a result of her dual nationality) on 28 July 2017, successfully leading a team of 12 members to the summit and back on her third attempt. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and a Member of The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).