QCOSTARICA — National pride. She did it. Ligia Madrigal is the first Costa Rican woman to reach the top of the highest mountain in the world, on Wednesday minutes after 5:00 pm Costa Rican time (5:00 om Nepal), reaching the summit of 8,848 above sea level.
Ligia, 51 years old, is the second Costa Rican to conquer Everest, in 2012 the national climber Warner Rojas did it.
This was Ligia’s second attempt, just a year ago, she was able to reach base camp 4, 800 meters, from the summit. Although she knew it was complicated, she decided to return this year.
Ligia left Costa Rica on April 7, arriving in Nepal on April 10 to launch her attempt, going through the process of acclamation, climbing Labuche Peak at more than 6,000 meters.
On Saturday Ligia, with tenacious perseverance and commendable physical preparation started on the path to the top that ended, reaching it successfully in this attempt on Wednesday.
Ligia’s path to the top of the world wasn’t an overnight thing, the mountaineer has been planning to place the Costa Rican flag at the highest point in the world for more than five years.
In an interview on Teletica.com, on December 24, 2021, Madrigal revealed that her plan was to be the first Tica to conquer Everest.
Ligia has a long list of competitions won, such as athletics races, mountain biking, adventure, hiking, mountaineering… and a frozen nose (literally), in 2022, in the ascent of Aconcagua, the highest mountain on the continent at 6,961 meters above sea level.
Ligia beat it all, gathered sponsors and on April 7 published on social networks: “And against all odds, swimming against the current and without the right to give up, here I go to Nepal.”
After enjoying the feat of being at the top of the world for a few minutes, Ligia began her downward return, just as dangerous as the climb, since most accidents arise during the complicated descent.
It should be noted that the Costa Rican mountaineer Daniel Vargas Calvo, who also arrived at base camp with Ligia Madrigal and sought to become the youngest Costa Rican in history to achieve this, had to abort the mission after suffering a viral infection and cerebral edema (accumulation of fluids in the brain).
