Kate Matrosova (Facebook Photo)
A thoroughly reported article recently published on Bloomberg.com profiles Kate Matrosova, the 32-year-old Wall Street trader and climber who died President’s Day Weekend while trying to traverse New Hampshire’s Presidential Range in extreme weather conditions.
The article paints a picture of an intense, driven overachiever who loved the outdoors and challenges.
According to the article, Matrosova spoke three languages and built a stellar career in finance and banking largely on her talent for analyzing risk. She was an experienced mountain climber who aspired to be the first woman to climb Denali in winter. She was also a judo practitioner who regularly destroyed male opponents and was on the brink of achieving a black belt. And she was known for being willing to pass out rather than tap when she’d had enough.
Rescuers endure powerful winds while searching for Kate Matrosova. (Photo Matty Bowman)
The forecast for February 15, the day Matrosova set out into the White Mountains, called for a high of -20F with shifting winds from the north starting at 45 to 60 mph and rising midmorning to 80 to 100 mph, with gusts up to 125 mph. Wind chills as low as -75F. But she was training for Everest, and she also thought it was fitting to do the Presidential Traverse on President’s Day Weekend as a way of celebrating her impending American citizenship.
She activated her personal locator beacon that night. Rescuers, braving intense weather conditions, found her body the next day.