Ishtar Rizzo

In her own words

What do you do in the mountains?

In the mountains, I harvest the strength I sow every single day. The summit isn't forged at high altitude, it is built on daily discipline and on unglamorous decisions to show up, adapt and push beyond comfort. When I'm there, I practice grit, humility and gratitude.

The world and society will always try to dictate a woman's place and limits, but in the mountains, I find the raw truth of who I am and I'm reminded that my place and limits are defined by me.

The moment that means the most

The moment that means the most is standing in a landscape I once only knew through the pages of an encyclopedia and suddenly realizing just how far my childhood curiosity has carried me. Growing up, there was no blueprint for someone like me in reaching these spaces. Choosing to venture into them meant rejecting the invisible limits imposed by geography, language, culture, and circumstances.

I want to transform this improbable path into a clear possibility for the girls and women coming behind me. Being the first Latin American woman to achieve this feat to me means ensuring that I am never the last.

What's next?

My immediate priority is climbing Mt. Sidley in Antarctica to finish the Volcanic Seven Summits. This challenge has been an incredible experience that has taken me across every continent on the planet. On the horizon are more challenges and summits. My eyes are on tackling the Poles.