Tabei founded a climbing club for women in Japan in 1969 and, by 1972, was a recognized mountain climber. When Japanese newspaper and television companies sponsored an all-female expedition to climb Mount Everest, Tabei was one of the 15 women selected to go. In 1975, after months of training and preparation, the 35-year-old mother of two became the first woman to reach Everest's 29,035-foot (8,850-m) summit. What disaster partway up the slope nearly ended the climb? Discuss (http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst26257_Junko-Tabei-Becomes-First-Woman-to-Summit-Mount-Everest--1975-.aspx)
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