Interview: D.Erdenetogtokh “Becomes first Mongolian to climb the highest peaks of four continents”

Oyu Tolgoi employee, D.Erdenetogtokh, is an athlete and international mountaineer. Recently, she successfully climbed Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas. She has now climbed the highest mountains on four of the five continents.

Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, 2013.02.04

Tell us about climbing Aconcagua?
Aconcagua is in Argentina and is the highest summit in the American continent. It is 6,962 metres high. I had to adapt quickly to the high altitude and the weather. From the base camp, we climbed for 17 or 18 days. On the final day, 4 February, we set off at 5.40am and reached the summit at 7pm. On the way up, it was very cloudy with snow storms and many people gave up because of this.

How was the weather during your climbing?
It is summer in Argentina now and in the lower areas it reaches 30 degrees celsius. In the mountains it is quite windy and cold and the air temperature can fall to minus 25 or 30. It is usually cloudy and there are often strong snow storms. We timed our climb during days when it was warmer as it would normally get very cold for two to three days at a time.

How many summits have you conquered before? What is your plan now?
Aconcagua is my fourth summit in five continents. There are seven summits that people want to climb, but my main aim now is to climb the highest summit in Australia. That would mean I had reached the summit of every continent. I’ve started planning this and aim to take on the highest peak in Australia this year or next. I’m climbing in a team of five women, two of whom I climbed Everest with.

What makes you most proud about being a mountaineer?
Some sports have a huge audience but mountaineering has no audience. As a mountaineer, you compete with nature and the weather. This makes me feel incredibly proud. When I reach the summit, I feel like I have won. I’m very happy to be the first Mongolian mountaineer to climb the four highest mountains on five of the world’s continents.

Success in any sport requires funding. How do you afford to do this?
Mountaineering is very expensive. I started working for Oyu Tolgoi in the Dalanzadgad office in 2004 and since then, the company has provided financial support for each of my expeditions. I believe that my successes are not only for me, but also for the thousands of young Mongolians working for Oyu Tolgoi. I’m very thankful to Oyu Tolgoi and all of my colleagues for the support and encouragement that they have given me.