Canmore Mountaineer Liliya Ianovskaia Becomes Oldest Woman To Summit Nanga Parbat

At 66, Canmore mountaineer Liliya Ianovskaia has added one of the Himalaya’s most formidable peaks to an increasingly remarkable climbing résumé.

Ianovskaia summited Nanga Parbat, an 8,126-metre mountain in Pakistan known as the “Killer Mountain,” on July 1, becoming the oldest woman to reach its summit.

The climb was Ianovskaia’s 11th of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres, a list she said she never originally set out to complete.

“Going for all fourteen was never the original plan,” Ianovskaia said. “It formed gradually. So now that I'm this close, I intend to see it through if the opportunity is there.”

Three mountains now stand between her and all 14: Shishapangma in Tibet, and Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I in Pakistan.

But Nanga Parbat presented its own set of challenges.

Unlike some of the more heavily trafficked commercial routes on mountains such as Everest, Lhotse and Makalu, where fixed ropes can run much of the route for the climbing season, Ianovskaia said the route from Camp 3 to Nanga Parbat’s summit was largely unprotected.

There were only a handful of sections of fixed rope.

“On Nanga Parbat, you're relying almost entirely on your own skill, and a fair bit of luck, to get yourself up and down safely,” she said.

The mountain rises more than 8,000 metres above sea level and is one of the highest peaks on Earth. Its reputation has been built not only on its height but on the difficulty and danger associated with its climbing routes.

For Ianovskaia, the summit was the latest step in a mountaineering career that began relatively late in life. She was 50 when she climbed Kilimanjaro.

That experience prompted her to start thinking more seriously about climbing bigger mountains. She moved on to peaks in Mexico and Peru before climbing Aconcagua in Argentina, which rises to just under 7,000 metres.

After that summit, she began wondering what it would feel like to stand on an 8,000-metre peak. Cho Oyu became her first.

“I liked it, because I felt solid and strong up there,” Ianovskaia said.

Since then, the objectives have continued to grow.

The reality of climbing at 8,000 metres

For people who have never been on a high-altitude expedition, Ianovskaia said one of the biggest surprises is how little of the experience resembles the romantic image of a team moving together toward a summit.

On commercial expeditions, climbers generally move at their own pace and may only see one another at high camps.

“It can feel surprisingly solitary for something people imagine as a group effort,” she said.

Much of the expedition is also logistics and waiting. Getting to and from the mountain can involve multi-day approaches, long drives over rough roads and flights with multiple layovers. Even the climbing itself is often less dramatic than outsiders might imagine.

“It’s less about adrenaline and more about steady discomfort,” Ianovskaia said.

There is cold, thin air and the physical grind of moving upward for hours after the excitement of the climb has worn off.

On Nanga Parbat, Ianovskaia’s closest group became three Ukrainian climbers on the expedition. She described the relationship as warm and friendly, with plenty of conversation and laughter in the tent, as well as serious discussions about the war in Ukraine.

From Canmore to the Himalaya

Ianovskaia moved to Canmore in 2022, and the Bow Valley has since become an important part of her preparation for high-altitude climbing.

She lives near the Three Sisters, putting steep mountain terrain within walking distance of her home.

Before moving to Canmore, she lived in Ontario, where mountain outings had to be planned as occasional trips.

Here, hiking and climbing have become part of her daily routine.

“Hiking, scrambling and climbing opportunities right out my door are essentially unlimited,” she said.

The Rockies cannot prepare her for the most obvious difference between Canmore and an 8,000-metre peak: altitude.

Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, is about 3,954 metres high.

But Ianovskaia said the physical skills developed in the Rockies translate well to the Himalaya.

She regularly trains on Grotto Mountain, as well as Lady Macdonald, Cascade Mountain, Mount Engadine and Mount Shark.

She also ice climbs during the winter.

“Between the hiking and the ice, most of the physical foundation for an expedition gets built right here before I ever leave for the high mountains,” she said.

The people around her have been just as important.

Ianovskaia has trained with Canmore-area guides and climbers including Sean Isaac, Sarah Hueniken and Kris Irwin, particularly in ice climbing.

She said the concentration of experienced mountaineers in Canmore provides a unique environment for someone pursuing increasingly ambitious objectives.

Among the climbers she has encountered are Sharon Wood, the first North American woman to summit Everest, Canmore-based alpinist Barry Blanchard and Steve Swenson, who made the first traverse of Nanga Parbat’s Mazeno Ridge with Doug Chabot in 2004 as far as the Schell Route.

“These are genuinely serious names, incredible climbers, and simply being around people like them is one of the most powerful motivating forces there is,” Ianovskaia said.

Three mountains to go

Ianovskaia is now three summits away from completing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks.

Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I are planned for next summer, she said.

Shishapangma is more complicated. Access to the Tibetan peak depends on Chinese permits, which have become more difficult to obtain.

But the overall goal is now clear.

What began with a 50-year-old woman climbing Kilimanjaro has developed into an attempt to stand on the summit of every mountain on Earth higher than 8,000 metres.

And Ianovskaia said her late start is not something she sees as a limitation.

Asked what she would tell someone who thinks they are too old to start climbing or pursue something they have always wanted to do, her answer was brief.

“You're stronger and more capable than you think you are.”