Austrian woman claims Himalayas climbing record Published duration 23 August 2011

image caption Mrs Kaltenbrunner was accompanied by three other climbers to the top of K2

An Austrian has become the first woman to reach all 14 Himalayan summits above 8,000m (26,000 ft) without using bottled oxygen.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, 40, set the record after conquering the treacherous K2, her husband said.

"She is over the moon," he said on Mrs Kaltenbrunner's website

Mrs Kaltenbrunner, a nurse, is only the third woman to reach all 14 highest summits, but the first two climbers used supplemental oxygen.

"SUMMIT!!! At 6:18pm local time, Gerlinde reached the summit of K2," her husband Ralf Dujmovits said on the climber's website on Tuesday.

The Austrian was accompanied by three other climbers to the top of the 8,611m mountain - the world's second tallest after Mount Everest.

"Gerlinde is over the moon and can't believe how lucky they were to reach the summit TOGETHER in this fantastic weather, despite the difficult conditions during the ascent," Mr Dujmovits added.