A TAIWANESE mountain climber who became famous for posing in barely-there swimwear selfies atop summits all over the world has died.
Gigi Wu, or the Bikini Climber as she was better known on social media, froze to death after falling 20 metres down a rave in Taiwan’s Yushan national park.
The 36-year-old was eight days into a 25-day solo hike when she contacted a friend on her satellite phone to say she had injured her leg and was in need of rescue, according to Taiwan News.
She was also reportedly unable to give precise coordinates to her position.
Despite hiking for 28 hours to reach her, sleeping just three hours along the way, her rescuers’ efforts were ultimately in vain.
By the time they reached her at an altitude of over 1670m she had succumbed to the elements.
According to Commander Lin Cheng-I of the Nantou County Fire Department, overnight temperatures in the region where Wu was stranded would have been around freezing.
Born in New Taipei City, Wu emerged as a popular figure on social media thanks to her habit of posing for photos on top of mountains dressed in bikinis.
This unusual practice saw the experienced climb wear hiking clothes to scale her mountains before changing into a bikini once she reached the top.
In the space of the last four years alone, Wu estimates she climbed more than 100 peaks.
Once asked in an interview by FTV as to why she chose to strip-off once she reached the summit, Wu replied: ‘It just looks so beautiful, what’s not to like?’
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