YUMPING: You entered the world of climbing at the age of 18, what led you to undertake your travels exploring the mountains and the highest peaks?
ROSA: The friends, the people who surrounded me. I had never thought about the mountains as a sport, so with my husband and friends I started climbing and enjoying it.
YUMPING: Your career is practically impeccable, at 62 years old you completed an 8000m. How do you face each challenge today?
ROSA: It's been more than 25 years in the big mountains, and I continue to face my challenges like the first day, with great enthusiasm and enjoying every moment.
YUMPING: But that's not all because... You have summited 6 of 14 summits over 8000m. Would you like to be able to summit at least half of those 14 summits?
ROSA: Seven is my magic number and of course I would like to climb another 8000 meter mountain.
YUMPING: And tell us, what has been your most challenging climb so far and why?
ROSA: Kanchenjunga 8586m., the third highest in the world and the most challenging climb because it was after my cancer treatment. My physical condition was nowhere near what it was two years before, the treatments are very hard and that made me suffer a lot on that mountain. The head was what took me to the top.
YUMPING: How do you prepare yourself physically and mentally to face the challenges of high mountains?
ROSA: To go to these mountains you need to be very well physically and have knowledge of what you are going to face. I am in the mountains every week and that is the best training. Always motivated and excited about new challenges.
YUMPING: And, what are the biggest risks and difficulties you have faced during your expeditions?
ROSA: The greatest difficulty is getting to the base of the mountain, all that way that must be covered (sponsorships, logistics, etc.), once there it is the mountain and me, and all that remains is to do what I like, which is climbing.
We all know that the mountains are a very risky sport, but it is also true that nothing has to happen to us.
YUMPING: To deal with the "fears" and risks before going up the mountain… Do you have any rituals or superstitions before starting an important expedition?
ROSA: I have a lot of respect, but not fear. Fear can block you and that would be the worst thing up there. Before going to one of these mountains I like to stop by the Acebo Sanctuary in Cangas del Narcea and also visit La Santina in Covadonga and once on the mountain, we always make an offering to the gods before starting to climb.
YUMPING: The fact of being a woman in most sports is a condition. Is this the case in the world of mountaineering or has it opened up possibilities for you?
ROSA: Curiously, I went to my first eight-thousander, because I was a woman and from Asturias, that was a stroke of luck for me, which I took advantage of without hesitation. Yes, I had a lot of problems when it came to getting sponsorships, a lot of trips, but I am a fighter and I have managed to get ahead. In the mountains I have never had any problems, the mountains treat us all the same, there you are just another person.
YUMPING: Una a una, the first women's MTB club in Spain, has history, an initiative with a lot of history behind it. At what point in your life did you decide to form "Una a una"?
ROSA: The first time I saw Everest up close was by bike, crossing the Himalayas and arriving at the base camp on the north face. I had never ridden a bike and I had to learn when I was almost 40 years old to be able to do this adventure. I spent more hours running with the bike than riding it... It was so difficult for me that I said one day I was going to start a club for girls.
Years passed and the day did not come. But in 2009 with cancer, I could no longer go to the big mountains, I began to spend more time in Asturias and that was the perfect time. During the two years that my treatments lasted, I managed to take that Una a Una club forward, we presented it in 2011 with more than 40 members, the first women's mountain bike club in Spain.
YUMPING: And after reviewing your entire history... If I reproduce the following statement: "Rosa Fernández Rubio is the only woman "Spanish in crowning and completing the Las 7 Cumbres project." What's the first thing that comes to your mind?
ROSA : Well, it was a coincidence of life, I had promised that I only wanted to climb Everest and that I would no longer return to the Himalayas, but it was a promise with a small mouth. And the Las 7 Cumbres project emerged, as it could have been anything else.
I do recognize that, although it was very stressful, since there were 6 expeditions in one year, it was also very enriching and a true luxury to be able to live all those experiences. I was able to carry it out with the help of my daughter, the two of us alone planned all the expeditions with the help of the Internet, which was beginning to work those years.
And this is Rosa Fernández, a fighter and dreamer who faces each challenge with effort and dedication. Its story is synonymous with improvement, determination and passion. Thank you for placing your trust in us and showing that even if it is difficult, it can be achieved.
