Burçak Özoğlu Poçan

Burçak Poçan, née Özoğlu, (1970) is a female mountaineer and one of the first Turkish women, who climbed over 8,000 m.

She was born on January 4, 1970 in Ankara. Following her graduation from the School of Business Administration at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara with a BA degree, she earned a MA and PhD degree in labor economics from the School of Political Sciences at Ankara University. Burçak is currently a lecturer at the same university.

In 1989, she joined a four-year course for mountaineering during her university time at the Middle East Technical University. Burçak realized 1995 the first female ascent of Mount Büyük Demirkazık (3,756 m) in Turkey on the north face. She summited in 1996 Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in the Caucasus, the highest peak of Europe. The same year, Burçak climbed to the peak of Khan Tengri (7,010 m) in the Tian Shan mountain range, becoming the first Turkish highest climbing woman. In 1997, she was on the top of Mount Damavand (5,610 m), the tallest peak in Iran.

She became one of the first Turkish women to climb over 8,000 m when she summited Gasherbrum II (8,035 m), the 14th highest peak of the world, via west face along with Eylem Elif Maviş, on July 22, 2005.

Burçak took part in the Petrol Ofisi sponsored Turkish expedition team to Mount Everest in 2006. However, due complaints in her throat at 8,600 m, she had to give up climbing on May 15 and return to the advanced base camp for medical aid. She succeeded to make the summit on the second attempt on May 24, 2006, along with five other teammates, including two female colleagues. Burçak is married to her teammate mountaineer Serhan Poçan, who was also at the peak of Mt. Everest on the same day.

Awards

* 1996 "Mountaineer of the Year" by the Turkish Mountain Climbing Federation

References

* [http://www.indeksiletisim.com/roportaj.asp?id=70&type=2 Short biography in Turkish]
* [http://www.2006everest.org/cms_en/ Story of Mt Everest expedition]

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