Vanessa O'Brien is a British-American mountain climber, explorer, public speaker and former business executive. As a result of her dual nationalities, she simultaneously became the first American woman and the first British woman to climb K2 on July 28, 2017 when, on her third attempt, she successfully led a team of 12 members to the summit and back. In 2018, she received Explorer of the Year from the Scientific Exploration Society for her efforts. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
Ernest Shackleton listed those qualities an explorer should possess over a century ago: optimism, patience, idealism with imagination, and courage. Vanessa's qualities are truly akin to these * Alexandra Shackleton * What a wonderful, honest, refreshing book, full of free-spirited adventure, humour and profound thoughts to provide inspiration to anyone who simply dreams of getting out and doing their own thing * Sir Chris Bonington *