Mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-plus meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. This accomplishment came with a price. Her 2010 attempt to summit K2 — her last peak — ended when her good friend and partner slipped and fell to his death. A year later, she tried again and was rewarded with a view like she’d never imagined. She said, “I had the feeling that I was one with the universe." We’ll talk with National Geographic's 2012 explorer of the year.
