Adriana Brownlee

Adriana Brownlee spent three and a half years living and climbing in the high Himalayas, becoming the youngest woman in history to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000m peaks.  In this so-called "death zone” above 8,000 metres, the human body cannot acclimatise., it can only deteriorate.

In this talk she takes audiences from the very beginning, a letter she wrote at eight years old about what she wanted from life, through to the moment that childhood ambition became a mission on the slopes of K2 in winter, where she met her partner and climbing companion Gelje Sherpa.

The second half of the story follows the 14 peaks themselves, told with honesty, humour and no shortage of near misses.  From an oxygen crisis on Dhaulagiri to the tension of Nanga Parbat and a rescue on Annapurna, Adriana reveals what it really takes to survive where most people can't, and the trust, friendship and teamwork that kept her alive.  It is also a story of loss, as she shares the impact of losing her best friend Ashok Rai and how that grief shaped what came next.

Out of the mountains came AGA Adventures, the expedition company she founded with Gelje Sherpa, now guiding others safely to the world's highest summits.  Funny, raw and deeply human, she talks of  chasing something bigger than yourself, the people who carry you there, and what happens when an eight-year-old's letter finally gets its last line.
 
Adriana Brownlee is a leading British mountaineer, certified paragliding pilot and adventure athlete. At just 21, she became the youngest woman to climb K2, the world’s second-highest peak and one notorious for its technical difficulty and high fatality rate.  Fuelled by determination and a fierce spirit of adventure, she went on to become the youngest woman to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks.   She completed the challenge in 3 ½ years at just 23, setting multiple world records along the way. Beyond the records, Adriana is passionate about inspiring more women to pursue adventure in the mountains. In 2023 she co-founded AGA Adventures with her partner Gelje Sherpa, a high-altitude expedition company.