The First Ukrainian Woman to Summit the Five Highest Mountains on Earth: What Mountaineer Antonina Samoilova Wants Women to Know About Fear

Antonina Samoilova's mountaineering career began with a breakup, two weeks' notice, and a one-way ticket to Antarctica. Antonina is the first Ukrainian woman to summit the five highest mountains on Earth — Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu — and in 2024 she made history by summiting Everest and Lhotse in a single 24-hour push. She grew up as a city girl in central Ukraine with zero outdoor background, and her message for women is as direct as the routes she climbs: fear is a door, not a wall. Antonina and Angie talked about: Growing up in a landlocked city in Ukraine with no mountains and no outdoor role models Her first mountain — Kilimanjaro — and swearing she'd never climb again (she lied) The breakup that sent her to Antarctica on two weeks' notice, and how that trip changed everything Summiting Everest just four months after Antarctica Running out of oxygen on Kanchenjunga at 8,400 meters — and her only option was to keep climbing Summiting Everest and Lhotse back-to-back in exactly 24 hours Why she believes women's biggest limits live in their heads, not their bodies Managing your menstrual cycle at extreme altitude Her current "fear frontier": public speaking in English What's next — Nanga Parbat and the full Crown of the Earth Check out these resources: Antonina's website Antonina on Instagram: @tonya.samoilova The Cairn Project on IG The Cairn Project's newsletter Become a Trailblazer Summit Scholarship Foundation Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond: Become a Trailblazer. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation. Send this episode to a friend who wants to climb an 8,000m peak. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! Follow on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen on: Amazon, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, other platforms