The 36-year-old Norwegian is already ahead of Nims Purja’s schedule on the 14 peaks. She tells us her mission is to prove that high-altitude expeditions aren’t just a man’s game.

Reinhold Messner of Italy became the first man to climb all 14 peaks in 1986, and only 17 other men have matched his feat. Several others -- male and female -- have died trying. But her claim to ...