First Summit Conquered in The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition
Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, is pleased to announce that Olga Rumyantseva has successfully completed the first stage of The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition by solo-climbing Mount Sidley in Antarctica.
The first stop on the expedition saw Olga tackle the massive, mainly snow-covered shield volcano which is the highest and most imposing of the five volcanic mountains comprising the Executive Committee Range of Antarctica’s Marie Byrd Land.
The expedition set off by air from the Union Glacier Camp after four days of waiting for suitable weather conditions. The temperature, however, was still below the January average for this part of the Antarctic – down to minus 30-35 degrees Celsius. But this didn’t deter Olga from climbing the 1,500m volcano.
After achieving her first goal, Olga commented: “I can’t say it was easy. The most difficult thing about climbing Sidley is actually getting to the base of the mountain. The last flight to Sidley was two years ago and the pilots didn’t know where they would be able to land, so they needed excellent visibility. That’s why I had to wait for a number of days for the right weather conditions. In the end, it was a success, and I’m so happy with this start to The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition. This expedition is a challenge that will last for the whole of 2013, and the first ascent was especially important for me!”
About The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition
The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition sees mountaineer Olga Rumyantseva become the first woman to solo-ascend the Volcanic Seven Summits, the seven highest volcanoes on each continent, within one year.
Supported by Kaspersky Lab, Olga will solo-climb Mt. Sidley (Antarctica), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mt. Giluwe (Papua New Guinea), Damavand (Iran), Elbrus (Russia), Pico de Orizaba (Mexico) and Ojos del Salado (Chile/Argentina). Summiting these volcanoes is considered one of the toughest mountaineering challenges in the world, and the fact that Olga will be the first in history to ascend them alone in less than 12 months merely adds to the challenge.
The Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition is a new step for the brand in collaborating with explorers. At the beginning of 2012, with the support of Kaspersky Lab, renowned British explorer Felicity Aston became the first woman in history to cross Antarctica alone, having set a new world record. Another expedition dating back to November 2009 saw the company sponsor the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. This project brought together women from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom who skied more than 900 km from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole to mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth.
