Georgina Lennon :: Vicky Jack Interview...

GASPING for air, suffering from oxygen starvation, being blown around, holding on for dear life, 28-thousand-feet in the air, 51-year-old Vicky Jack was determined not to let Mount Everest beat her.

Vicky, from Perthshire, Scotland is the most determined woman I’ve ever met.

Over a seven-year period she climbed the seven highest summits in seven different continents – all after she had turned 40-years-old.

She pushed both her body and mind to the limit and despite facing horrendous weather conditions, which forced her to abandon her first attempt to reach the top of Everest, she made the decision, before reaching base camp, that she would head back up again one year later to finish her seven year challenge.

Vicky said: “I’m not someone who gives up easily but for my own safety I had to turn back that first time.
“It was devastating to get so close and not reach the top, but I knew before I reached the bottom of the mountain that I’d be back.”

Vicky first started climbing in her 30’s when during a night out at the pub someone suggested she climb the munros in Scotland.  She relished at the thought of this, as she admits she didn’t really know much of her country off the beaten path and saw this as the perfect way to discover it.

After completing the munros she set off on her next challenges – the summits.

First came Mt Elbrus in Europe followed by Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa then Mt Anocagua and Mt Vinson.  Then came Vicky’s toughest challenge yet, Mount McKinley in North America.

Vicky said: “Climbing McKinley I was the only woman in the four-man-team.
I had to carry my kit on my back, which had my tent, fuel, a stove, food and spare food in it, plus drag a sledge that weighed about 100 pounds”

She continued: “Once I reached 14,000-feet we couldn’t take the sledge up the ice hill so I had to carry everything on my back.

“It was the toughest mountain I’d climbed so far and really felt the strain.” Since it was the coldest mountain she’d climb, Vicky made sure she was prepared before attempting it.

“I lived in Aviemore at the time so would go into the Cairngorms at night with yellow pages packed into my rucksack and drag a tractor tyre filled with rocks behind me, just to get me used to the cold and the weight that I’d have to carry.”

She also trained with the Scottish Avalanche Info Service who showed her to dig snow pits to check the risk of avalanche.

After Mt McKinley, Vicky climbed Carstenz Pyramid then attempted Everest for the first time, unfortunately having to turn back at Tillery Step, 300-feet from the top of the mountain.

However one year later and after training with the marines, Vicky set off to conquer Everest again in 2004.
Although the weather was better and the climb a little easier, Vicky still faced some tough opposition hen she reached the top.

Vick said: “When me and my sherpa got to the top there was a line of people just sitting there, blocking our path.
“I was exhausted and had used every bit of energy getting that far so my sherpa helped guide me round to the other side of the mountain.”

She added: “When I sat on the top I was so sad. I was tired and cold and just sort of slumped over, then my sherpa took off my goggles and as I looked out at the view from the top I just felt contentment and an inner peace at what I was looking at – I’d finally done it and it felt great” Vicky Jack is now waiting for that next light-bulb moment when she’ll know what her next challenge is going to be but until then she’s touring the country doing motivational speaking and telling everyone about the wonders she has seen in the hope of encouraging someone else to follow in her footsteps.