Birth name Sian-Pearl Going Name Pearl Going | Main discipline Alpinism Nickname PG | |
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Famous Partnerships Black Diamond, Adidas Outdoor, Smith Optics, SONY | ||
Sián-Pearl Going (born 27 January 1985) is a New Zealand mountaineer and adventurer. Her climbing career is focussed towards high altitude alpinism.
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Mountaineering
New Zealand's first fully sponsored alpine athlete Going is currently undertaking the elite sporting feat of climbing the seven summits aiming to break the current record held by Annabelle Bond to be the fastest woman in the world to do so and also the first New Zealand woman. Her climbing style is fast and light. Going is mentored and coached by Guy Cotter the director of New Zealand firm Adventure Consultants pioneers of Everest expeditions voted the best adventure travel company on earth by National Geographic. Founded by New Zealand mountaineer Rob Hall. On 6 August 2011 Going became the first New Zealander and one of the youngest in the world to climb full alpine style up the remote North side of the highest peak in Europe Mt Elbrus, Russia.
Early November 2011 she became the first New Zealander and the fastest woman in the world to complete a full traverse of Mt Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa in just 4days and 9hrs. In February 2012 one month out from her scheduled departure to climb Mt Everest Going climbing from the south was hit by a near career ending rock fall during an expedition to complete a full 360 traverse of the second highest of the seven summits Mt Aconcagua. She went on to complete her summit and traverse but her injuries saw her undertake two months rehabilitation learning to walk and climb again.
Going returned to climbing by successfully undertaking the Great Wall a 6c rock climb on Koh Yao Noi in the Phang Nga province of Thailand. Controversial at the time because Going typically an alpinist had not sport climbed in over eighteen months.
In June 2012 Herald on Sunday reported Russian climber Lyudmila Korobeshko announcing her intention to race Going in climbing the Seven Summits. Northern Advocate later reported Korobeshko was attempting the Bass list of seven summits while Gong was attempting the Messner list - considered more challenging by mountaineers. Media also reported she had turned down an overseas sponsor deal choosing to remain in her native New Zealand Going said 'Mountaineering is definitely becoming more commercial and there comes a point where you have to draw a line and say this is who I am, this is what I need and no amount of money can influence that.’
Family
Going was born in Northland and is a member of the Going family considered largely to be one of the nations pre-eminent sporting families famous for producing Rugby football players including All Blacks legend Sid Going, Ken Going, Todd Miller and Jared Going. In 2009 the Going family celebrated 150yrs since first arriving in New Zealand in 1859. In 2010 New Zealand media labelled the Going family the closest thing Northland has to a royal family such is their prominence in the region. Her grandfather is wealthy Northland businessman Wynne Going. Going is of Maori descent. She has three older half siblings who are not members of the Going family.