Nancy Hansen
{{Short description|Canadian mountaineer}}
Nancy Joanne Hansen (born 1968) is a Canadian sport climber and mountaineer. She is an ambassador for the Alpine Club of Canada and has been a professional alpinist for nearly thirty years.
Life
Hansen moved to Canmore, Alberta in 1993{{Cite web |title=Accessorizing With Nancy {{!}} Miguelito's Little Green Car. We are all connected. |url=https://www.miguelitoslittlegreencar.com/blog/accessorizing-with-nancy/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |language=en-US}} and began climbing in 1995.{{Cite web |date=2015-09-17 |title=Nancy Hansen's Radical Approach |url=https://www.kristydavison.com/highline-magazine/2019/4/11/nancy-hansens-radical-approach |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Kristy Davison |language=en-US}} By 2003, she had summitted all 54 of Canada's peaks above 11,000 feet, becoming the first woman, and sixth person ever to do so.{{Cite web |date=2013-06-28 |title=The Good Book: Revisiting The Fifty Classic Climbs |url=https://www.climbing.com/places/the-good-book-revisiting-the-fifty-classic-climbs/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Climbing |language=en-US}}
Hansen grew up on a rural property near Edmonton. She fell in love with climbing after a trip to Mount Fay, despite terrible conditions where she nearly became hypothermic. She is known for her mountain, rock and ice climbing in North America, after completing 46 of the 50 routes in the guidebook Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2021-03-16 |title=Canadian Nancy Hansen Heading to Karakoram in 2021 |url=https://gripped.com/news/canadian-nancy-hansen-to-attempt-everest-in-2021/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Kassar |first=Chris |date=2017-09-12 |title=Committed: The Epic Quest to Climb the 50 Classics |url=https://www.climbing.com/places/committed-the-epic-quest-to-climb-the-50-classics/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Climbing |language=en-US}} She has gone on to climb across many regions of the world, including the Himalayas, Antarctica,{{Cite web |date=2019-03-21 |title=Hitchhiking and Honeymooning in Antarctica (PART I) |url=https://blog.alpineclubofcanada.ca/blog/2019/3/21/hitchhiking-and-honeymooning-in-antarctica-1 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Aspects |language=en-US}} Thailand,{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2016-05-12 |title=Nancy Hansen's Awesome Trip to Southeast Asia for Sport Climbing and Travel |url=https://gripped.com/profiles/nancy-hansens-awesome-trip-to-southeast-asia-for-sport-climbing-and-travel/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}} Europe{{Cite web |date=2020-02-15 |title=Granite rock and scenic hikes in Chamonix |url=https://blog.alpineclubofcanada.ca/blog/2020/2/3/granite-rock-and-scenic-hikes-in-chamonix |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Aspects |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2019-06-23 |title=Fall climbing vacation: Leonidio or Kalymnos, Greece? |url=https://blog.alpineclubofcanada.ca/blog/2019/6/24/leonidio-or-kalymnos |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Aspects |language=en-US}} and South America.
In 2010, Hansen, alongside her climbing partners Felix Camire and Doug Fulford were selected by park rangers at Denali National Park to receive the Mislow-Swanson Denali Pro Award, for their assistance in rescuing a guide who was suffering altitude sickness.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |title=Mislow-Swanson Denali Pro Award - Denali National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/denalipro.htm |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=AAC Publications - North America, United States, Alaska, Alaska Range, Denali National Park and Preserve, Summary |url=https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201111001/North-America-United-States-Alaska-Alaska-Range-Denali-National-Park-and-Preserve-Summary |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=publications.americanalpineclub.org}}
In 2014, she won the Guy Lacelle Pure Spirit Award for reaching the "11,000er club".{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Gripped |date=2015-02-05 |title=Canadian Nancy Hansen Attempting Everest From Tibet |url=https://gripped.com/news/canadian-nancy-hansen-attempting-everest/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}} That year, she made plans to climb Mount Everest with Ralf Dujmovits after meeting him at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, where she worked at the time. She travelled to the Alps to train for the attempt via the Norton Couloir.{{Cite web |title=NANCY HANSEN: FEAR, MOTIVATION AND MT. EVEREST |url=https://www.wildly.ca/articles/nancy-hansen-fear-motivation-and-mt-everest |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Wildly Supply Co. |language=en-US}} She was attempting to become the first woman from North America to summit the peak without supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Gripped |date=2015-04-23 |title=Everest: Nancy Hansen's O2-Free Record Attempt |url=https://gripped.com/news/everest-nancy-hansens-o2-free-record-attempt/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}} After arriving in the Himalayas, their plans were delayed due to the 2015 Nepali Earthquake. That year she also attempted Gasherbrum IV, but had to turn around at 6,400 after conditions deteriorated.{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2021-03-16 |title=Canadian Nancy Hansen Heading to Karakoram in 2021 |url=https://gripped.com/news/canadian-nancy-hansen-to-attempt-everest-in-2021/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}}
In 2016, she and Dujmovits attempted the first summit of the unclimbed Praqpa Kangri (7,134m),{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2016-05-16 |title=Nancy Hansen and Ralf Dujmovits Prepare for Unclimbed 7,000-metre Karakorum Peaks |url=https://gripped.com/routes/canadian-nancy-hansen-recieves-2016-shipton-tilman-award/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}} winning a grant from the Shipton-Tilman grant program to support the climb.{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2016-05-16 |title=Canadians Receive 2016 Shipton-Tilman Award for Big Objectives |url=https://gripped.com/news/canadians-receive-2016-shipton-tilman-award-for-big-objectives/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}} The pair were unsuccessful, after a two month expedition, they reached 6,300 meters before descending due to snow conditions.{{Cite web |title=AAC Publications - Gasherbrum VI, Southwest Ridge, Attempt; Praqpa Ri, East-Southeast Ridge, Attempt |url=https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213884 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=publications.americanalpineclub.org}}
The following year, Hansen and Dujmovits traveled to Nepal where they summitted the south-west ridge of Cholatse (6,440m) after a seven day trek.{{Cite web |date=2017-04-28 |title=Success on Cholatse |url=https://blog.alpineclubofcanada.ca/blog/athletics/success-on-cholatse |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Aspects |language=en-US}}
In 2018, Hansen and Dujmovits took part in a hypoxia study at the German Aerospace Centre to measure the impact of low oxygen environments on the brain.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-28 |title=Life at 7000m (PART I) |url=https://blog.alpineclubofcanada.ca/blog/2018/5/28/life-at-7000m |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Aspects |language=en-US}} For the study, they spent weeks living at the Centre in a low oxygen environment.{{Cite web |title=Ralf Dujmovits |url=https://www.dlr.de/en/blog/authors/ralf-dujmovits |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=www.dlr.de |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |title=Thin-air therapy: The unexpected medical benefits of hypoxia |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25133450-800-thin-air-therapy-the-unexpected-medical-benefits-of-hypoxia/ |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}
Several years after becoming climbing partners in 2015, Hansen and Dujmovits married, taking their honeymoon in Antarctica. In 2021, the two returned to the Himalayas and made an attempt on the unclimbed Biarchedi I (6,781 m). The pair were unsuccessful after heavy snowfall prevented their summit attempt.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-08 |title=Dujmovits and Hansen updates - Biarchedi I |url=https://everestmountain.co.uk/dujmovits-and-nancy-hansen-ready-for-unclimbed-biarchedi-i |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=Everest Mountain |language=en-GB}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Nancy}}
Category:Canadian rock climbers
Category:Canadian female climbers
Category:Canadian mountain climbers