My Memories are Everything climbs are to raise awareness and research money for Alzheimer's Disease. My mom, Ida, passed away from Alzheimer's in 2009.

Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, with another person newly diagnosed every 69 seconds. It affects more than 5 million people in the United States and over 25 million worldwide. The burden on families and family caregivers are significant both personally as well as financially. With our aging population, these issues are increasing dramatically. Today, there is no reliable method of early detection and no cure. And there is hope with research.

100% of your donations got to your selected non-profit and none to Alan, climbing expenses or supporters.

The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. funded my climbs for the 7 Summits campaign and will continue to fund my ongoing campaign efforts. All money I raise from donations goes directly to the organizations I have selected. Click here to find official information about the campaign. As of November 9, 2010, content posted here is my own but subject to certain limitations in conjunction with the support of the AIP.

The Cure Alzheimer's Fund is supported by private grants thus allowing 100% of your donations to go directly to Alzheimer's research.

The National Family Caregivers Association, is an organization that empowers family family caregivers to act on behalf of themselves and their loved ones.

The Alzheimer's Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research, and the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research. The Association’s vision is a world without Alzheimer’s®. Visit the Alzheimer's Association to learn more.

Everest Summit May 21, 2011

Asia: Everest (29,035'/8850m)

Mt. Everest is on the border between Nepal and Tibet (China). It is in the Himalaya mountain range which stretches 1500 miles from Northeastern Pakistan to Bhutan. There are over thirty mountains higher than 25,000 feet. Of the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks, nine are located in the Himalayas making it clearly the top of the world. Mt. Everest was first summited by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary with a British expedition in 1953. They took the South Col route which is described on this page. At that time the route had only been attempted twice by Swiss teams in the spring and autumn of 1952.They reached 8500m well above the South Col. Of note, Norgay was with the Swiss thus giving him the experience he used on the British expedition. The Swiss return in 1956 to make the second summit of Everest.

Today, hundreds of climbers from around the world use this route to try to stand on top of the world. It is considered slightly more dangerous than the North Ridge Route due primarily to the instability of the Khumbu Icefall. However some considered it slightly easier than the north due to the absence of the ladders and rock climbing on the steep steps of the North Ridge route. As of 2011, there have been about 3448 individuals summit with another 2136 repeat summits since 1953 with 250 deaths.

The second highest mountain in Asia is K2 in Pakistan at 28,251'/8611m and is about 800 miles northwest of Everest but still in the Himalaya range. It is considered significantly more difficult than Everest requiring technical rock climbing and extreme weather.

I have climbed on Everest four times.
You can read about my climbs on my Everest pages.

The menu at the top of each Everest page links to:

Pictures from the climbs are organized in six albums by the trek in, base camp, Khumbu Icefall, Lhotse Face, South Col and Above and a Best of Everest Album.
Videos from my Everest climbs.
Alan's 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2011 summit Climbs with an overview and dispatches sent during the climbs
Coverage and commentary of the Everest 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 , 2009 and 2010 climbing seasons
6 essays on topics from money to family to death
Extras including Everest for Kids, Musical Slide Show and Pictures of the South Col Route plus the Northeast Ridge Route map.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)about climbing Mt. Everest
Communication Technology from Everest
Links to other websites for more information
Click here to see the south route in motion

Everest Summit May 21, 2011

Asia: Everest (29,035'/8850m)

I have climbed on Everest four times. You can read about my climbs on my Everest pages.

I have climbed on Everest four times.
You can read about my climbs on my Everest pages.