The climb that worries her most is Denali, the 6194m peak in Alaska, because of the extreme cold; the one that excites her most is the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesian West Papua, where just getting to the base involves a week-long jungle trek.
Climbing is a far cry from Ms Going's most recent occupation as a publicist, helping celebrities get into - or stay out of - glossy magazines such as Men's Health in the UK.
She worked with Miss New Zealand 2010, the Far North teen Cody Yerkovich, and has appeared in the social pages of Auckland newspapers, in stark contrast to her current uniform of mountaineering garb and crampons.
One of her challenges is her "tiny frame" of just 46kg. She is building up her weight and training in Auckland and Wanaka between breaks at home in Tutukaka.
Being part of Northland's Going family had helped her overcome her size.
"I'm fortunate to have a family that doesn't scoff at doing big things. They don't say you're a girl, you're too small - they just say put your boots on and get on with it."
One of her reasons for taking on the challenge was to prove herself after a brain injury she suffered in a car crash in Dubai in 2006.
The injury took much of her memory and put a stop to her studies. When she returned to Whangarei after the accident she could no longer find her way around or remember people she grew up with.
"But now I've climbed Europe's biggest mountain I can say, 'I've got a brain injury - and so what?"'
It was also the realisation of a childhood dream. Reconstructing her memories with the help of family members, she learned she had nagged her father to take her to a real mountain, Ruapehu, when she was 4 years old. At the age of 7 she wrote in a diary that her goal was to "climb to the top of the world".
"To discover a dream again, when you're old enough to do something about it, is a gift," Ms Going said.
Her family had agreed to help cover the substantial costs of travel and guides, with renowned Kiwi company Adventure Consultants helping her up six of the seven peaks. She also relied on sponsorship and her own savings.
Adventure Consultants owner Guy Cotter said the first Kiwis to top the Seven Summits were the company's founders, Rob Hall and Gary Ball, in just seven months in 1990. No New Zealand woman had completed the challenge.
"Her giving it a go is a fabulous thing to aim for, and if all the stars are aligned she may well do it," Mr Cotter said.
"Anybody attempting something like this recognises there's a possibility of not succeeding - that's the definition of adventure, not knowing what the outcome will be."
Brute strength and size were not as important as tenacity, he said.
"It takes a lot of mental fortitude to get through the highs and lows of mountain climbing. A lot of very strong people wouldn't make it."
Mt Everest was the toughest of the seven but Denali, in the Arctic Circle, was also difficult and bitterly cold. Perhaps the most interesting were the Carstensz Pyramid and Antarctica's Vinson Massif, an "amazing expedition" that felt like visiting another planet.
The Seven Summits
EUROPE: Mt Elbrus (5642m), Russia.
AFRICA: Mt Kilimanjaro (5892m), Tanzania.
OCEANIA: Carstensz Pyramid (4884m), Indonesia.
SOUTH AMERICA: Aconcagua (6962m), Argentina.
ANTARCTICA: Vinson Massif (4892m).
ASIA: Mt Everest (8848m), China/Nepal.
NORTH AMERICA: Denali/Mt McKinley (6194m), USA.
The Seven Summits is a mountaineering challenge which involves climbing the highest peak on every continent. The original 'Bass list' of Seven Summits included the highest mountain in Australia (Kosciuszko, a stroll at just 2228m) instead of the highest peak in Oceania. American climber Richard Bass was the first to complete the Bass list in 1985. Canadian Pat Morrow was the first to complete the tougher Messner list in 1986.
