Tamae Watanabe Japanese climber Date of Birth: 21.11.1938 Country: Japan

Biography of Tamae Watanabe

Tamae Watanabe, a Japanese mountaineer, became famous in 2012 when she set a record by conquering Mount Everest at the age of 73. She first amazed the world in May 2002 when she became the oldest woman to climb the formidable mountain at the age of 63. Ten years later, Tamae broke her own record by conquering Everest once again at the age of 73.

Tamae Watanabe was born in 1938 in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Until the age of 28, she lived an ordinary life as a clerk and had no idea about the beauty of mountains. However, after her first mountain climb, Tamae couldn't live without them. For almost five decades, she persistently conquered various peaks around the world. She successfully reached the summits of Mont Blanc, Mount Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Mount McKinley in 1977. As the years went by and Tamae grew older, her passion for mountains never waned. While many of her peers retired from work, sports, and other "young people's activities," Tamae realized that she couldn't and didn't want to stop climbing mountains.

In 2002, at the age of 63, Tamae embarked on her Everest expedition. Standing on the top of the world's highest mountain, she became the oldest woman in the world to achieve such a feat. Tamae knew that she would break her own record someday. After ten long years, at the age of 73, Tamae Watanabe once again approached the base of Everest as part of a group. She was surprised by the changes she witnessed on Everest, as she could personally see the effects of global warming. A small lake had formed near her team's campsite. The weather in May 2012, when Tamae set out to conquer Everest once more, was not very welcoming. Strong winds persisted throughout the climb, and it was decided to attempt the summit in the evening.

At the age of 73 and 180 days, Tamae Watanabe became the oldest woman to climb Everest for the second time. After returning home, she immediately began organizing a campaign against global warming. Tamae also promotes female mountaineering and works with young women who aspire to become climbers. It is known that she leads a secluded life in Japan. Whether Tamae Watanabe plans to break her record again in 2022 and climb Everest at the age of 83 remains unknown.