Vanessa Archontidou and Christina Flampouri are two “ordinary” women with an extraordinary goal; they wish and intend to conquer each of the seven continents highest peaks. Both mountaineers have already climbed four of them, and became the first Greek women who ever
succeeded in such a task.

Their cause is called A woman can be and beside their goal, they want to make a difference and show to all female population if Greece that a woman can break free from the stereotypes and daily routine, and become whatever she wishes. They want to show that a woman can be strong, sweet, vulnerable, affectionate, but demanding at the same time. Above that she can also be a professional, a mother, a housewife or even a mountaineer. They want to inspire and help women who have not realized that the path to succeed in any task is in their hands.

Vanessa Archontidou is a Marketing Director at a multinational company, a mother of two boys and a climber, for the last fourteen years. Since 2006, when she completed the Climbing and Winter Mountaineering School of A.O.S (ATHENIAN Mountaineering Association), she’s been an active member of the same association, assisting with numerous ascents all around Greece. She has conquered almost all of Greek mountains, has reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (5892 m.), the highest peak in Africa, and participated in commercial exhibitions in Nepal and the Swedish Alps.

Christina Flambouri was born and raised in Athens, works at a multinational company and due to her love of nature, she had turned to the sea and offshore sailing for relaxation. For many years, her greatest fear was acrophobia, until she decided to overcome it and chose climbing as a solution. Soon enough, she realized that alpinism was not just a personal challenge, but a lifestyle too, and up to this day she has managed to climb most of the Greek mountains, the Kinabalu Mountain (4,095 m.) in Malaysia, Kilimanjaro Mountain (5892 m.), Africa’s highest peak and has participated in commercial exhibitions to the Swedish Alps. Since 2014, she has been an active member of E.O.S Acharnon, while in 2016, she graduated the Climbing and Winter Mountaineering School of ‘Basecamp Kotronaros’.

With their mountaineering team, both Greek women have conquered the Aconcagua Mountain (6962 m.) in Argentina, Elbrus Mountain (5642 m.) in Russia and Denali Mountain(or McKinley) (6190 m.) in Alaska, USA. Their next goal is to climb by the summer 2018, Mount Puncak Jaya (4884 m.) in Indonesia, Vincennes Mountain (4892 m.) by 2019 which is the highest mountain in Antarctica, and Mount Everest (8848 m .) earth’s highest mountain by spring 2019, following the “Messner version”. Once they achieve these three next goals and succeed their “7 Peaks in 7 Continents” goal, they will be the first Greek women who will have done such a task.

In this effort, Nick Mangitsis will assist them as their coach, who has organized and led more than 42 mountain expeditions and is the only Greek that has climbed the “7 summits”. He is also the first and only Greek ever to step on the North and South Pole.