The First Lady To Climb Everest By Both Sides

The First Lady To Climb Everest By Both Sides Todays guest is a lady who could literally be singing "I'm on the top of the world, looking down at the creation"every-time she jumps out of bed.Because since University, she has had a fascination for climbing, and took part in her first mountain expedition,to the Ruwenzori in central Africa at the age of 21.And something clicked in her.Was it the challenge?The camaraderie?Or simply the thrill of doing something that so few people have seen or done before?Whatever it was since that first climb she has tackled mountains across southern and central Africa, in South America, in the Alps and of course in the Himalayas when she stood on the top of the world and made history by becoming the first woman to reach the summit from the North and South peaks. But though her days on the worlds highest peak now seem to be at an end (in her words "I have not intention in going back" )her thirst for adventure seems unquenchable and in spring of 2004 she joined British woman Rona Cant and Norwegian Per-Thore-Hansen on a dog-sled expedition of 650 km through the remote wastes of the Norwegian Arctic to the most northerly point in Europe.With all these experiences just bursting from her, its no surprise that she has also climbed twice to the top of the book charts too,with her two self penned books Everest: Free To Decide and Just for the love of it"So before I mispronounce any more words and names, let me say it gives me great pleasure, to bring onto the show to start joining up the dots that have made her life, the one and only Cathy O'Dowd.