Viridiana Álvarez Chávez (born May 15, 1983) is a Mexican alpinist, public speaker, and entrepreneur. She is the first woman from the Americas and the seventh worldwide to reach the summit of the fourteen mountains over eight thousand meters high.
In 2020, she obtained a Guinness World Record for being the woman with the fastest ascent of the three highest peaks in the world, using supplementary oxygen: Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga.
Biography She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Tecnológico de Monterrey, a Master's degree in Quality Systems Engineering, and a Master's degree in Innovation from Tecnológico de Monterrey. She has a certification in ontological coaching from Newfield Consulting in Chile and a certificate from the Women's Leadership Program at the Yale School of Management.
She served as the director of the Center for Automotive Industry Development in Mexico (CeDIAM) at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Aguascalientes Campus, and held various managerial positions in manufacturing companies within the automotive industry.
She is the general director of "Liderazgo de Altura", a Business Coaching Center, a business consulting firm, and the president and co-founder of "Líderes de Altura A.C.", a non-profit organization aimed at women, youth, and children, with an emphasis on mental health promotion projects.
She is a certified diver and a PADI ambassador.
Professional career She began her sports career by participating in athletic events such as 10 km runs, half marathons, marathons, and half IronMan competitions, as well as mountain biking.
Her journey into mountaineering started when she reached the summit of Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba) on February 8, 2014. This experience marked a turning point in her career, as after seeing the world from Mexico's highest peak, she became curious about how it would look from the summit of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.
On January 14, 2015, she reached the summit of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the American continent, as preparation for climbing her first eight-thousander. On October 5, 2015, she reached the summit of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, thus beginning her journey towards the fourteen eight-thousanders and the Seven Summits.
The Fourteen Eight-Thousanders She is the first woman from the American continent to climb the fourteen highest mountains in the world, each over eight thousand meters high, and the seventh woman in history to achieve this milestone.
#MountainAltitudeDateComments1Manaslu8,156 mOctober 5, 2015No "Real Summit" (2019)2Everest8,848 mMay 16, 2017Expedition Leader3Lhotse8,383 mMay 13, 20184K28,611 mJuly 21, 2018First latin american woman5Kanchenjunga8,586 mMay 15, 2019First mexican woman Guinness World Record6Annapurna8,091 mApril 16, 2021First mexican woman7Dhaulagiri8,167 mOctober 1, 20218Makalu8,485 mMay 12, 20229Shisha Pangma8,027 mApril 26, 202310Cho Oyu8,188 mMay 13, 202311Nanga Parbat8125 mJune 26, 2023First latin american woman12Gasherbrum I8,080 mJuly 18, 202313Gasherbrum II8,035 mJuly 21, 202314Broad Peak8,051 mJuly 27, 202315Manaslu8,156 mSeptember 21, 2023• Real Summit Without supplementary oxygen
The Seven Summits She has climbed the 7 highest summits of each continent. #MountainElevationDateContinent1Aconcagua6,962 mJanuary 14, 2015South America2Everest8,848 mMay 16, 2017Asia3Elbrus5,642 mAugust 18, 2018Europe4Kilimanjaro5,893 mSeptember 29, 2019Africa5Vinson4,892 mJanuary 8, 2024Antarctica6Denali6,190 mJuly 2, 2024North America7Carstensz4,884 mOctober 12, 2024Oceania
Records
2018: First Latin American woman to reach the summit of K2. 2019: First Mexican woman to reach the summit of Kanchenjunga. 2020: Guinness World Record for being the woman with the fastest ascent of the three highest mountains in the world, using supplementary oxygen (1 year 364 days). 2021: First Mexican woman to reach the summit of Annapurna. 2023: First Latin American woman to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat.
References