Ingrid M. Baeyens (January 8, 1956 Ramsel, Belgium) is a Belgian mountaineer and physical therapist. She became the first woman to summit the South Face of Annapurna in 1991, and the first Belgian woman to summit Mount Everest in 1992.

Intrid Baeyens
Personal information
Born (1956-01-08) January 8, 1956 (age 68)
Ramsel, Antwerp, Belgium
Climbing career
Type of climberAlpine climber
Known for

Biography

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Ingrid Baeyens was born in Ramsel, Antwerp, Belgium on January 8, 1956.[1]

She began mountaineering in the Alps in the early 1980s.

She would go on to climb in the Andes with her husband Wim Verbist, until he died in 1987 during a climb in Peru.[2] She then turned to climbing in the Himalayas, notably participating in expeditions with Krzysztof Wielicki and Rob Hall.[3]

In December 1990, she attempted a winter ascent of Makalu, which had been unclimbed in winter until that point. Alongside an expedition team of Krzysztof Wielicki, Anna Czerwinska, and Richard Pawlowski, they made it to 7,400m before descending.[4] Makalu would not be summitted successfully in winter until nearly 20 years later, in 2009.[5]

She summitted four eight-thousanders, including the South Face of Annapurna.[2][6] After becoming the first Belgian woman to summit Everest in 1992,[7] she retired from climbing in the Himalayas. At the time, she was the female mountaineer with the most eight-thousanders after Wanda Rutkiewicz.[2]

In 1994, Baeyens and Paul Laeremans became hypothermic while descending the West Buttress route of Denali.[8] After their team created a snow cave for them to rest, they were successfully helicoptered to safety.[9]

Notable ascents

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References

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  1. ^ Mercier, Jacques (2006). Belges en France (in French). Lannoo Uitgeverij. ISBN 978-2-87386-478-1.
  2. ^ a b c Jean-Pierre Borloo, « Ingrid Baeyens sur le toît du monde Première femme belge au sommet du mont Everest », quotidien Le Soir du mercredi 13 mai 1992 page 17
  3. ^ « Ingrid Baeyens » sur le site k2news.com
  4. ^ "Fernando Garrido y Krzysztof Wielicki, únicos ochomiles solitarios en invierno". Desnivel.com (in Spanish). 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  5. ^ a b "Makalu climbed in winter - at last". www.thebmc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  6. ^ "11 vrouwen op het dak van de wereld". Bergwijzer (in Dutch). 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  7. ^ "INGRID BAEYENS SUR LE TOIT DU MONDE PREMIERE FEMME BELGE AU SOMMET DU MONT EVEREST". Le Soir (in French). 1992-05-13. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  8. ^ "AAC Publications - North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park and Preserve Mountaineering Summary". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  9. ^ Williamson, Jed (1994). Accidents in North American Mountaineering (6 ed.). Golden, Colorado: The American Alpine Club. p. 27. ISBN 0-930-410-60-2.
  10. ^ "Everest: 5th attempt". v1.explorapoles.org. Retrieved 2024-07-09.