Yuka Komatsu

Just over 5 feet tall, the quiet girl resembled a tender Geisha as she reported on her very first 8000er - K2 - bagged at the age of 23! Yuka Komatsu was born on September 22, 1982 in Akita, Japan and graduated at Tokai University in March, 2005. She has done ice climbing in Korea and Banff (Canada). In 2004, without any Himalayan experience, she led a team in the Karakonglong Mountains, Pamir Range (central Asia) – achieving a first ascent on a 6300m virgin peak. Yuka summited K2, her first 8000er, together with Tatsuya Aoki (21) on August 1, 2006, after climbing from the SSE Spur route. She used supplementary O2 on her summit day. Yuka’s companion on the summit, Tatsuya Aoki 21, has become the youngest K2 summiteer ever. In 2007 she tried to climb Shispare 7611-M but unsuccessful due to bad weather. Shispare 7611-M is one of the high peaks of the Batura Muztagh, in Karakoram range.