Olympic medals from Hettie Dyhrenfurth

German-born Oskar Dyhrenfurth led two international Himalayan expeditions, one in 1930 and one in 1934. His wife, Hettie Dyhrenfurth, was with him. The third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga, could not be climbed in 1930, but geological and medical experiments nevertheless gained recognition among experts. At least the expedition members reached the summit of Jongsong, which at 7,462 m was the highest peak climbed at that time. With the rise of the Nazi Party in the early 1930s, the Jewish couple took Swiss citizenship. In 1934, the 7,442 m high Sia Kangri was climbed, also by Hettie, setting a new world altitude record for women, which she held until 1954. It certainly did not occur to the Germans that their former citizens, Jews at that, were receiving this distinction. . The awarding of this gold medal was hardly mentioned in German and Swiss publications.