Flor Cuenca
Graciela Flor Cuenca Blas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 Chuspin, Peru |
| Occupation(s) | Mountaineer, tour guide, Spanish teacher |
| Known for | Summitting 11 eight-thousanders |
Flor "Hirkawarmi" Cuenca is a Peruvian climber. She is the first Peruvian woman to have reached the summit of 11 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen.[1] She is the first Peruvian to have climbed Gasherbrum I (8068 m), K2 (8611 m) and Kanchenjunga (8586 m).[2]
Background
[edit]Flor Cuenca was born in Chuspín, Casca District. She is the third of 14 children, born into a farming family, where she had to climb 1,000m to tend her family's sheep.[3][4] Growing up in the Ancash region of the Andes, she made her first summit of 4,500m at "7 or 8" years old.[5]
She moved to Lima to train as a tourist guide at the Instituto Superior Tecnológico Eleazar Guzmán Barrón in Huaraz, as she felt it would be the right career to help her stay close to the mountains.[1] In 2006, she moved to Europe on a student visa to learn German.[6][5] She decided to stay in Germany as she could earn enough income to self-fund her expeditions, which was not possible in Peru.[5] Since 2008, she has been living in Karlsruhe, Germany, and is a member of the German Alpine Club.[7][8]
She is also known as "Hirkawarmi", which is Ancash Quechua for "mountain woman".[9]
Mountaineering
[edit]Flor is known for her lean expeditions, self-funded, without sherpas, sponsorship and without supplemental oxygen.[10][11]
She is critical of large expeditions that leave garbage, waste, old tents and used O2 canisters across the Himalayas and Karakoram, and has sought to bring attention to the issue.[4] In 2025, when two Nepali sherpas were killed in an avalanche while ferrying oxygen containers on Annapurna, Cuenca was openly critical of conditions that the sherpas were working in, which cost their lives. Writing on Instagram, she said, "In every expedition in the Himalaya, in every accident, there are always the Sherpas who pay with their lives… They die serving people, opening routes, and carrying equipment up and down for tourists. If we go back in history, many have also died due to the negligence, stubbornness, or selfishness of their clients."[12]
Summits of eight-thousanders
[edit]| Summit | Country | Altitude | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cho Oyu | Tibet / Nepal | 8201 m | 2016 | First 8 thousander[13] |
| Manaslu | Nepal | 8163 m | 2017 | |
| Broad Peak | Pakistan / China | 8051 m | 2019 | [2] |
| Gasherbrum | Pakistan / China | 8068 m | 2021 | First Peruvian ascent[3] summit on Peru's bicentennial[14] |
| Dhaulagiri | Nepal | 8167 m | 2021 | [3][10] |
| K2 | Pakistan / China | 8611 m | 2022 | First Peruvian ascent[15][16] |
| Kanchenjunga | India / Nepal | 8586 m | 2023 | First Peruvian ascent[15][17] |
| Nanga Parbat | Pakistan | 8125 m | 2023 | [18][19] |
| Gasherbrum II | Pakistan / China | 8035 m | 2023 | [20] |
| Annapurna | Nepal | 8091 m | 2024 | [21][22] |
| Makalu | Tíbet / Nepal | 8485 m | 2024 | [21][23] |
She started the project "Hijas de la Montaña" in an effort to lead the first Peruvian female expedition in the Himalayas.[24][25] The project, aims to send five women from the Peruvian Andes, including Flor, to climb Manaslu and advocate for environmental sustainability and gender equality.[26] The project plans to bring more than 100 kg of trash down from base camp during the expedition.[27]
In 2023, she was named to the Forbes 50 Most Powerful Women in Peru List.[28]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Peruano, LO NUESTRO Sumplemento del Diario Oficial El. "LO NUESTRO | Diario Oficial El Peruano". elperuano.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-08.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Noticias, Áncash (2023-05-30). "Montañista ancashina Flor Cuenca logró coronar el Himalaya - Ancash Noticias Ancash Noticias". Ancash Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ a b c Rojas, Jacinto (2021-10-07). "Ancashina Flor Cuenca Blas, logra otra hazaña en el Himalaya". Bolognesi Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ a b Benavides, Angela (2022-08-09). "Climber Appalled by K2 Conditions, Calls it a 'Pigsty' » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b c Espiritu, Mary Sue (2023-09-30). "La ancashina que conquista las cimas del mundo: "No tuve apoyo, no les era interesante lo que hacía"". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Peruano, LO NUESTRO Sumplemento del Diario Oficial El. "LO NUESTRO | Diario Oficial El Peruano". elperuano.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Zehnthaus Jockgrim: Peruanische Extrembergsteigerin zu Gast". Wochenblatt Reporter (in German). 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ "Bergsteigerin aus Karlsruhe hat nächsten Achttausender im Visier". Badische Neueste Nachrichten (in German). 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (2023-08-07). "Last Thoughts on the Gasherbrums » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b Benavides, Angela (2021-10-09). "In Her Own Words: Flor Cuenca's No-O2 Summit of Dhaulagiri » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ teamviajeros (2023-10-23). "La lucha de Flor Cuenca, la ancashina que conquista las cimas del Perú y el mundo". Solo Para Viajeros (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (2025-04-17). "Annapurna: Second Summit Push Begins » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
- ^ "Flor cuenca logra su 3er 8mil". FEDPE. 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ "Flor Cuenca, conquista una de las cimas más altas de mundo". Huachos.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b Aponte, Sebastián (2023-05-31). "¡Vale un Perú!: Montañista ancashina llegó al pico de la tercera cumbre más alta del mundo". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ PERÚ, Empresa Peruana de Servicios Editoriales S. A. EDITORA (2022-07-30). "Peruvian reaches world second-highest mountain's summit, without extra oxygen". andina.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Missing German climber's body found near Kanchenjunga in Nepal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (2023-07-10). "The Inside Story of Nanga Parbat's Summit Chaos » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (2023-07-10). "The Inside Story of Nanga Parbat's Summit Chaos » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (2023-08-07). "Last Thoughts on the Gasherbrums » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ a b Minaya, Olga (2024-05-15). "Ancashina Flor Cuenca conquista su onceava cumbre en el Himalaya - Ancash Noticias Ancash Noticias". Ancash Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ Redazione (2024-04-15). "Allie Pepper e Flor Cuenca in vetta all'Annapurna senza ossigeno". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Nestler, Stefan (2024-05-07). "Mount Everest: First summit success of the season reported from the Tibetan north side". Adventure Mountain. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ TROME.COM, NOTICIAS (2024-05-21). "Montañista Flor Cuenca corona cumbres del Himalaya sin oxígeno artificial busca conquistar 14 montañas más altas del mundo a más de 8 mil metros | ancashina primera peruana en lograr 14 ochomiles | Makalu en Himalaya quinta cumbre más alta del mundo | cuántas cumbres coronó Flor Cuenca| Hijas de la Montaña expedición femenina peruana en Himalaya | IMP | ACTUALIDAD". Trome.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "La peruana Flor Cuenca busca mujeres para llevarlas a las cumbres más altas". www.cospanama.com (in Spanish). 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ PERU21, NOTICIAS (2024-05-20). "La montañista peruana Flor Cuenca conquista su octava cumbre en el Himalaya | montañista | Himalaya | Makalu | | DEPORTES". Peru21 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Hijas de la Montaña". daughtersofthemountain.org. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ TROME.COM, NOTICIAS (2023-08-21). "Mujeres peruanas poderosas: Forbes lista de 50 mujeres más poderosas del Perú, su poder influye en ciencia, deportes, negocios, sector público, música, ambientalismo | Aracely Quispe, Pía León, Kimberly García, Gladys Tejeda, Ana María Brescia, Cintya Añaños, Milena Warthon, Gianella Neyra | IMP | ACTUALIDAD". Trome.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-08.