Major Accomplishments
Background
From : http://www.saxton.com.au/default.asp?nc8=4&sc8=140&sd8=515
On the 27th of May 1997, Brigitte Muir stood breathless at the top of the world and became a household name across Australia. She had battled deep snow, deadly crevasses and oxygen-starved air to become the first Australian woman to climb Mount Everest.
Brigitte scaled Everest via the South Col route taken by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. It had taken her four attempts to make the summit of Everest, only the previous year having survived a storm that killed eleven climbers. The year before that she was separated from her party when she stopped to change a dead headlamp battery. Waiting for daylight and struggling not to sleep, Brigitte knew that seventy percent of climbers who spend a night on Everest without shelter die. Brigitte has recounted her adventures in her 1998 book The Wind In My Hair.
Belgian-born Brigitte has been climbing mountains for more than twenty five years. Her climbing career began in 1976, with a couple of years exploring caves in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. She also went rock-climbing in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the US and climbed several alpine peaks in France, Italy, Canada and Switzerland. As well as working on her climbing passion, Brigitte graduated from Liege University with an Honours degree in archaeology, history of art and musicology.
In 1982 Brigitte travelled to India on her first Himalayan expedition where she climbed Hanuman and DI (both peaks are around 6000 metres high). Since then, she has been on fifteen private climbing expeditions to the Himalayas (including nine 8000m peaks and one new route on the very difficult and beautiful Shivling in Northern India), as well as guided numerous climbing expeditions to Nepal, Argentina and Bolivia.
In 1988, looking for a long term goal, Brigitte decided to climb the highest mountain on each continent. Nine years later she completed her quest, and in the process became the first Australian to do so.
Since completion of the quest, Brigitte has climbed on Makalu (another 8000m peak) done a reconnaissance walk to the South Pole and completed the first ever longitudinal traverse of the Tirrari Desert in Australia.
Brigitte is currently working on a documentary about her most remarkable life, and is also focused on her pasion for the conservation of our planet, speaking on issues of global warming and renewable energies.
In 1997, Brigitte received the Australian Geographic Award for excellence. This was followed in 1998 with an Australian Achiever Award from the Australia Day Council, in 2000 with the Order of Australia Medal, for services to mountaineering and in 2001 with Membership of the first Victorian Honour Roll of Women, Centenary of Federation.
Brigitte is a fascinating speaker, whose presentations illustrate the courage and determination she found to fulfil her dreams.
FROM http://www.everesthistory.com/climbers/bmuir.htm : ASK PERMISSION
| Brigitte Leonce Suzanne Koch was born in Belgium in 1958. She graduated with honours in archaelology, history of art and musicology before dedicating herself to the art of mountaineering. She moved to Australia after she married Jon Robert Muir, and became an Australian citizen in 1987. |
Awards and citations
1997 Australian Geographic Award for excellence
1998 Australian Achiever Award Australia Day Council
2000 Order of Australia Medal, for services to mountaineering
2001 Member of the first Victorian Honour Roll of Women, Centenary of Federation
2001: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
January: became the first Australian woman to do a walk to the South Pole, as part of a reconnaissance trip for major expeditions in Antarctica.
2000: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
January: guided Aconcagua, highest mountain in South America
May- June: guided trekking and climbing expedition in Bolivia
August: first longitudinal traverse, unsupported, of Tirari Desert, with husband Jon
1999: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
March- June member of Makalu International 1999 expedition, aiming to climb Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world (8463m), without oxygen or Sherpas. Brigitte abandoned the climb after her close friend Michael Joergensen died abseiling from the summit. Her high point was 7600m.
August: walk across Lake Gairdner (salt lake) and Island Lagoon in SA
October: guided Three Peaks in the Khumbu expedition (Nepal)
1998: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
Author of ‘The Wind in My Hair' published by Penguin
January and February guided two expeditions to Aconcagua (6960m)
June guided Pequeno Illusion, Huyana Potosi and Illimani in the Cordillera Real, Bolivia
November leading a trek to Pokhalde and Everest Base Camp, Nepal
1997: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
January and February guided two expeditions to Aconcagua, highest mountain outside the Himalaya, and highest in South America (6960m).
April May joined Team Ascent Everest expedition to the South Col route. summited on 5/27/97, becoming in doing so the first Australian to climb the highest mountain on each continent, and the first Australian woman to climb Mount Everest
1996: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
January and February guided two expeditions to Aconcagua, highest mountain outside the Himalaya, and highest in South America (6960m).
April- May: joined expedition to the South Side of Everest, reached the South Col at 8000m before having to descend due to storm and death of a number of climbers at and above the Col.
1995: Director of Adventure Plus, international guiding business.
January and February guided two expeditions to Aconcagua, highest mountain outside the Himalaya, and highest in South America ( 6960m).
April, May, June joined commercial expedition to Everest North Ridge (from the Tibetan side), and climbed twice above 8000m. Once with husband Jon, who became ill with bronchitis and had to be escorted down the mountain by Brigitte (high point 8200m, Camp 3), and once with three other climbers: at 8400m, at 2AM, Brigitte's headlamp failed and the others, although directly in front of her, failed to notice the problem and kept climbing. Brigitte had to sit and wait for daylight for three hours, almost dying of hypothermia in the process, before making her way down to the last camp for warming herself up.
The high point of 8400m reached by Brigitte makes it a new Australian female altitude record.
1994: Director of Adventure Plus, International guiding business.
Rock-climbing instruction at Mount Arapiles.
Extensive bushwalking in Grampians, Victorian Alps and Kosciuszko National Park.
January and February Leader of two commercial expeditions to Aconcagua (6960m ) in Argentina. Worked as mountain guide, cook and organiser.
April, May, June first Australian female ascent of an 8000m peak,
Shishapangma (8008m). Alpine style attempt on Cho Oyu (8206m),
defeated by arriving monsoon. Went up to 6750m.
July expeditions planning, instruction at Mt Arapiles.
December first Australian female ascent of Mount Vinson, highest mountain in Antarctica.
1993: Director of Adventure Plus.
January all woman expedition to Aconcagua, for Wildwise Pty Ltd.
February guiding Aconcagua for Adventure Plus.
August, September, October attempt on Everest North Ridge. Spent two nights at 7600m before retreating in bad weather.
1992: Setting up Adventure Plus with partner and husband Jon Muir.
Extensive bushwalking in Victoria.
1991: Hunting sponsorship for Seven Summits Quest on a full time basis.
1990: Ascent of Mt Kosciuszko, ascent of Opera House for Greenpeace protest.
Ascent of Elbrus, highest summit in Europe.
1989: Tanzania: ascent of Umbwe and Western breach Route on Kilimanjaro (5985m)
Argentina: solo ascent of Normal Route of Aconcagua (6960m). Attempt on South Face with Jon Muir and Geoff Little.
1988: Alaska: ascent of Mt McKinley, 6194m, via West Buttress
Beginning of Seven Summits Quest.
1987: India: climbed to 6250m on Kedarnath Dome with Geoff Little.
Pakistan: joined NZ Karakoram expedition to Gasherbrum I (8068m).
Climbed to 6800m. Turned back by avalanche prone slopes.
1986: India: ascent of West Peak of Shivling (6505m) by new route on South
West Pillar. Fourteen days of continuous climbing in ' capsule style'.
Rock pitches up to grade 21, A4. Ice climbing to Scottish grade 5 with
Graeme Hill and Jon Muir.
1985: India: single day ascent of Kedarnath Dome ( 6830m)
attempt on South West Pillar of Shivling II with Ed Neve, Terry Tremble and Jon Muir.
France: winter ascent of Mt Blanc with Jon Muir, Via Tacul and Maudit.
1984: Nepal: Island Peak (6189m) with Veronique Koch. Extensive trekking in Khumbu.
1983: European Alps: Gervasutti Pillar, West face of Aiguille du Plan and other climbs with Jon Muir.
1982: India: first Himalayan expedition. Ascents of Hanuman and D I (both around 6000m) with Elke Rudolph.
1981: New Zealand: climbing in Mount Cook area.
1980: Australia: rock-climbing at Mount Arapiles and other cliffs.
1979: Canada: attempt on the Lotus Flower Tower in the Logan Mountains.
Extensive rock-climbing in Belgium and France.
1976 to 1978: Caving in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. Several alpine peaks by
standard routes in France, Italy and Switzerland. Rock-climbing in
Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
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