On the edge of the possible: Antonina Samoilova became the first Ukrainian to conquer five 8,000-meter peaks
6 June 2025 19:26
Mountaineer Antonina Samoilova became the first Ukrainian woman to climb the five highest peaks in the world. The final challenge in this list was Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas – 8,586 meters, the third highest in the world after K2 and Everest.
Samoilova posted about the climb on her Instagram, and Divoche.media also reported about it, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Kanchenjunga is considered one of the most dangerous peaks: in recent years, the death rate during climbing here has reached 22%. The mountain is also called the “killer of women” – historically, very few climbers have been able not only to climb to the top, but also to descend safely from it.
The expedition itself was almost disrupted due to a sudden change in the weather on the eve of the climb. But the real test was waiting for Antonina 200 meters before the summit – she ran out of oxygen, and both spare cylinders were empty.
“20 minutes without oxygen at an altitude of 8400 meters immediately affected the body… In a moment you can’t feel your legs, and the only way to save them is to literally kick them on the stones,” she said.
Samoilova’s life was saved by a sherpa who was accompanying her. He gave the climber his oxygen tank and began to descend.
Antonina dedicated the climb to the memory of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Hryanyk, a participant in a GUR special operation in Mariupol who died in May 2022. She took his chevron with her to the summit as a symbol of the continuation of his dream to conquer Everest.
In 2023, she already took his photo to the highest point on the planet, and this year she continued her journey with him to new heights.
Antonina Samoilova is the first Ukrainian climber to have
- climbed Mount Everest three times;
- completed the Everest-Lhotse traverse in one day (spring 2024);
- conquered Manaslu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, K2, and Makalu.
This makes her a unique figure in the history of Ukrainian mountaineering.
