The first time I heard that an 11 year-old was climbing the 7 Summits, I dismissed it. 11 years old? Where does he get the money. Who will take him on these climbs? And, what does a 11 year-old know about climbing anyway. Well a few years went by and I heard about this kid again, but this time he had climbed 5 of the 7 and was on his way to Everest. Whoa. Jordan Romero is not your ordinary 8th grader and his father Paul is not your ordinary Dad. Jordan saw a painting at school showing the highest [continue reading]
Climber
May 102010
With teams mostly enjoying the comforts and electricity of low villages or base camps, the blogs are full of rich details about their recent acclimatization climbs. As I have said so many times, I deeply appreciate it when a climber takes the time, and sometimes risk, to describe what is happening on the mountain. Not so much for the mountaineering details but for the insight into the human experience of climbing Everest. Thanks to you all. But first some mountaineering status.
Apr 282010
News travels quickly on Everest. Teams on both sides are sadden by the avalanche incident and have a heightened awareness of the dangers of high-altitude mountaineering. However, they push on knowing that danger comes with the sport. For teams on the north is has been a difficult few days with the avalanche on the North Col. The missing climber is László Várkonyi is a well known Hungarian climber. I contacted Ang Tshering Sherpa who is the Founder and Chairman of Asian Trekking who provided them with logistical support. He sent me this immediate reply for which we deeply thank him:
Apr 072010
Leif Whittaker is walking in large footsteps. You see, his father, Jim Whittaker, was the first American to summit Everest. He and the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, Sherpa Nawang Gombu, summited on May 1, 1963. They ran out of oxygen but managed to reach the summit. Now Leif is on his Everest climb with the RMI team lead by Dave Hahn. Also, teams are well into Tibet and the south route is all the way to Camp 1 in the Western Cwm.
When are you too old to climb Everest; or too young? How about 13 or 80? Does age really matter anymore? Let’s take a look at some of the youngest and oldest climbers thus far on Everest and who is climbing in 2010.
Lei Wang may be about to accomplish something by her calculations only nine other people have done thus far: stand on top of the 7 Summits and ski the last degree to north and south poles – assuming she summits Everest about 3 months from now. Growing up in China, Lei spent her weekends catching fish and shrimp but not thinking of climbing mountains and adventure. Her dream was to be a doctor, a scientist or maybe a writer. Her parents never considered her hidden passion for exploration. But all that changed when she stood on top of Kilimanjaro. Something [continue reading]
Ang Chhiring Sherpa now lives in Mercer Island Washington, just outside Seattle. And this man has a dream of helping those back in his native Nepal. With his hopeful summit of Everest this spring he will have completed the 7 Summits he started with his summit of Denali on June 17, 2009. His cause is to raise money for his Himalayan Women and Children Foundation. Also to raise money and awareness for the health clinics, schools, hydroelectric project and airplane strip that he intends to establish in the Salleri area of Solu Khumbu, Nepal. A.C was born in Nepal and [continue reading]
Feb 232010
A constant debate within the climbing community is not what you climb, but how you climb. Style. It is all about style. Mike Farris found himself in the middle of this argument on the summit of Everest last spring. He climbed with style but paid a price with the removal of portions of seven fingers, both big toes, and portions of six smaller toes. Climbing pundits will rate Reinhold Messner as a superior climber to Ed Viesturs even though both climbed the fourteen highest mountains on earth without supplemental oxygen. Messner climbed new routes and Viesturs used standard routes. Messner [continue reading]
Interview with Anne-Mari Hyryläinen: The First Finnish Woman on Everest?
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
Comments Off
Feb 212010
Finland is usually associated with Nordic sports like ski jumping and cross country skiing. Now Anne-Mari Hyryläinen wants to make history by being the first Finnish woman to summit Everest. An accomplished marathoner, she saw Mount Everest for the first time while bicycling from Lhasa to Kathmandu. She stopped at the north side base camp and the dream was born. Her training has taken her to Europe and Asia including Mount Blanc (traverse, Goutier 3-summits route) and several 6/7000 meter high peaks in Nepal (incl. Tukuche Peak, Chulu West, Kang Guru). She currently lives in Dubai with her husband so [continue reading]
Interview with Ellen Miller – the Quiet Climber
Climber, Interviews
Comments Off
Feb 072010
Ellen Miller is a quiet climber. She is so quiet that many people would never know the achievements of this accomplished athlete and mountaineer. For example, she is the only woman to summit Everest from both sides within the span of one year. I first met Ellen in 2002 on the expedition where she summited from the Nepal side. She was a quiet and confident person with a natural bent towards giving encouragement to others. She was clearly the strongest climber on our team. I remember on summit night as we all left the South Col together, watching her and [continue reading]
Not everyone who attempts Everest, succeeds. And I should know! Last spring French climber Eugene Constant made an attempt with Russel Brice’s Himex team – complete with the Tigress Production cameras rolling for season three of Everest: Beyond the Limit. Climbing Everest was his dream. He had trained for years, even managed a delay of one full year after the Chinese pulled his team’s permit due to the Olympics conflict in 2008. He was determined to do his best and to raise money for his cause. However, Eugene called a halt to his climb. Often we focus on the summiters [continue reading]
In 1999, at the age of forty-three, Lori Schneider awoke with numbness in over 50% of her body. Two months later, her entire body was numb. She had Multiple Sclerosis – MS. MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, because the symptoms come and go. Lori had been experiencing symptoms of numbness and tingling for 10 years prior to that total body attack, when they told her that it was rapidly progressing and she could be in a wheelchair some day. “It scared me. I was really afraid that my [continue reading]
Jan 272010
In the climbing world there are a few people who uniquely stand out: Messner, Viesturs, Moro, House, and many more – you know the names. And then there are those climbers who have forgotten more climbs than most people have attempted. They may not have been the most difficult or garnered the fame but they were climbs nonetheless. Gerry Roach of Colorado has a lock on this category. If you live (or climb) in Colorado you know him from his famous guide book simply called Colorado’s Fourteeners: from hikes to climbs. It is the premier guide book for all things [continue reading]
Jan 242010
The human spirit is an amazing creature. Somehow, climbing big mountains brings it out. Cindy Abbott is no exception. With a broken leg on Aconcagua, she hobbled down from the high camps to be helicopter out, had surgery and was climbing again seven weeks later. Now she is going to Everest. Oh and she has a rare disease that baffles doctors to this day. Cindy has the disease Limited Wegener’s Granulomatosis or WG. The Mayo Clinic describes it as an uncommon disorder that causes inflammation of blood vessels, which in turn restricts blood flow to various organs including kidneys, lungs [continue reading]
From Sea to Mountain Top
Climber, Everest 2010, North
Comments Off
Jan 212010
This is a unique approach! A Dutch team has officially started their 2010 Everest climb with a dive to 152 meters (500 feet) under water off the coast of Egypt on December 16, 2009. The principle climber is Jantoon Reigersman and he will be climbing Everest’s north side as a member of the UK’s Adventure Peaks team lead by Dave Pritt. Next up for Reigersman is training in the Alps, then Aconcagua. Not content with just diving and climbing, he will cycle from sea level to 1300m (4265 ft) in the Pyrenees; then from Kathmandu to the Tibetean basecamp at [continue reading]
Andrew Lock: Everest 2010 Traverse
Climber, Everest 2010, Traverse
Comments Off
Jan 132010
Andrew Lock, the eminent Australian climber who has climbed all 14 8000m peaks has made a startling announcement for this upcoming 2010 spring season: Andrew plans to return to Mt Everest in the pre-monsoon season (April-May) of 2010 to complete one final climb in his Summit 8000 project. Having climbed all fourteen of the world’s 8000 metre mountains, his plan is to summit Mt Everest for a third time but this climb will be a traverse from Tibet to Nepal, oxygenless. This will be interesting since I have been told that the Chinese are not issuing permits for a traverse. [continue reading]
Interview with TA Loeffler
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
Comments Off
Jan 072010
We hear a lot about the famous people on Everest so I like to focus on the not so famous; however you might define that. In her hometown of St. John’s Newfoundland, TA Loeffler is quite famous; even a legend. If you have ever read her Blogs, book or had been fortunate to hear her speak, you know why. TA is one of those individuals who brings you into her world by inspiring you to be the best in yours. She will be climbing Everest this spring with Canadian Tim Ripple’s Peak Freaks. When not climbing, TA teaches outdoor education [continue reading]
Interview with Brad Jackson and Sandy Hoby
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews
Comments Off
Dec 232009
Occasionally I meet people on climbs that leave a lasting impression. Brad Jackson and Sandy Hoby cross that requirement and more. I met them on Everest in 2008. They were on a different team but also climbing from the Nepal side. As is the case on Everest, you get to know other climbers over dinner in Base Camp, crossing a crevasse in the Ice Fall or struggling to breathe at a high camp. Brad and Sandy stood out for many reasons but mostly for their dedication to one another as well as their climbing ambitions. Now they are returning to [continue reading]
Double Traverse Attempt Announced
Climber, Everest 2010, Interviews, Traverse
Comments Off
Dec 072009
Everest is a mountain of lifelong dreams and huge ambitions. Most climbers are happy to just try to reach the top of the world. A few dream to climb up one side and down the other – a traverse. Then there are those that want a return trip aka the double traverse. By the way, it has never been done. A single traverse is incredibly difficult – physically, mentally and logistically. A double amplifies the challenge. It has been tried a few times, most recently with a world-class effort by David Tait with one of the best Sherpas in the [continue reading]
Recent Comments