A division of Rabbitte    

In our modern world that is so heavily dominated by fakes and plastic imitations, Sue Fear was the genuine article. I know this not from what I have read in news articles, but from what I have experienced first hand.

Sue was one of Australia's most accomplished high altitude climbers and had successfully summited 5 of the world's 8000 metre peaks and became the first Australian born woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

In May 2005 I had the privilege of climbing with Sue Fear on Lobuche East and Imja Tse. The knowledge and experience that I gained from climbing with Sue goes well beyond what can be learnt from any technical mountaineering course. Sue believed in empowering people with the skills to climb their own mountains. She was strongly opposed to the 'buy a ticket to the top' kind of commercialised mountaineering mentality.

Sue was a fanatic when it came to safety. She left nothing to chance unless absolutely necessary, and if a risk had to be taken, it was always a calculated one.

It was obvious to me from the outset that Sue Fear was a very generous person. This showed in many ways, but none more so than in her overwhelming desire to pass on her knowledge to others. It was vitally important to Sue that people have the necessary skills to climb safely. Not just for their own safety but also the safety of others on the mountain.

I have many memories from that expedition that will stay with me for the rest of my life, but one will remain particularly vivid. Another team member, and myself had both shown a particular interest in eventually climbing over 8000 metres. One evening at Namche Bazaar, Michael, Sue and myself decided to go for a walk down to the village centre. Over a few drinks and the course of a couple of hours Sue began to bombard Michael and myself with an overwhelming amount of high-altitude knowledge. It was important to her that we know as much as possible before taking on an eight thousander.

Sue's support continued well after the expedition since I announced that I planned to climb Cho Oyu. Numerous phone calls and emails exchanged between us right up until shortly before she left for Manaslu.

I had planned to climb with Sue again in October 2006 as part of a training climb prior to Cho Oyu. Tragically Sue never returned from Manaslu. She passed away on May the 28th, 2006 after falling into a crevasse above 8000 metres.

Sue Fear was an avid supporter of the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Australian Himalayan Foundation. Donations can be made to both of these organisations in Sue's memory.