About Alan Arnette
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Hi, I’m Alan Arnette, and welcome to my site. If this is your first visit, welcome. If you are one of my regular readers, a sincere welcome back.
I own and run this site myself. It is not sponsored by or associated with any company, product or brand. Its purpose is to share my climbing experiences and to advocate for Alzheimer’s research. You’ll find detailed trip reports, FAQs, pictures and videos from my climbs, years of Everest and K2 season coverage, and practical climbing advice.
The site is also where I raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease, a cause personal to me because of my mother Ida’s battle with the illness. I curate all the content, and 100% of donations for Alzheimer’s research go directly to nonprofit organizations, none to me, ever.
Climbing
As a mountaineer, and I use that term loosely, I started climbing in 1992 at age 36 and have been on 36 major climbs around the world since. I have climbed above 6,000 meters more than ten times and attempted Everest four times, summiting on May 21, 2011. My other 8,000-meter summits are Manaslu in October 2013 and K2 on my 58th birthday, July 27, 2014, when I became the 18th American and the oldest American man to summit K2, a record that still stands.
I have climbed all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, 225 times counting repeats, and between November 2010 and October 2011 I climbed seven of the eight peaks on the Seven Summits lists.
Each major climb has its own section with a trip report, FAQs, pictures and stories. Start with All My Climbs, the 7 Summits or Everest, or compare the mountains from Rainier to Everest and the 7 Summits in easy-to-read tables.
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer’s advocacy is what my life’s work is about now. This disease has no cure, affects tens of millions of people worldwide, and took four of my aunts plus my mom, Ida, in August 2009. I climb to raise awareness and research funds so that our children’s generation will never experience this robber of memories and lives. Please visit Memories Are Everything® for my personal experience, and listen to my Memories Are Everything podcast.
I have led three large-scale projects for Alzheimer’s: The Road Back to Mt. Everest in 2007-08, with climbs on Denali, Shishapangma, Aconcagua, Orizaba and Everest; the 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer’s in 2011; and K2 for Alzheimer’s in 2014, climbing the world’s hardest mountain to fight the world’s hardest disease. Together these efforts have raised nearly $500,000 for research, and I have partnered with Cure Alzheimer’s Fund since 2007.
Disclosure: the Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. funded my 7 Summits climbs and related efforts between November 2010 and November 2012, and Abila sponsored my K2 expedition. All donations then and now go directly to the organizations I selected.
Summit Coach and Speaking
If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start, or how to reach your next level from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest or even K2, I can help. Summit Coach is my independent, one-on-one coaching service, built on more than 30 years of high-altitude experience and 30 years as a business executive. Summit Coach, LLC is a Colorado-based company.
Through Summit Talk, I speak to corporate and community audiences. I combine my years as my mother’s caregiver and a career running global businesses with my mountaineering adventures to get audiences thinking about goals, overcoming obstacles and celebrating life. My most popular presentation is Passion and Purpose: Making Your Mark on the World.
Writing
I have covered Everest for Outside magazine for years and have written for Rock and Ice. Outside once called me “the world’s most respected chronicler of Everest.” My memoir, Summiting K2 for Ida: Hard or Impossible?, tells the story of my K2 climb for my mother.
I am a proud member of the Explorers Club and the American Alpine Club.
Personal
I retired in early 2007 from a 29-year career with HP to oversee my mother’s final years with Alzheimer’s. I held different jobs with HP in several US states and European countries, from sales and marketing to product development and running worldwide businesses, almost always in a management role.
My personal philosophy has always been one of balance: an equal amount of energy for my work, my family and time for myself. Outside of climbing, I enjoy photography, business and, of course, my family. Animals have always been special to me, from my first guinea pig, Ralph, to my longtime friend Preston (a.k.a. Roy), an excellent Lhasa Apso, to my beloved cats Max and Mimi, and today Marley, our Boxer mix.
Questions or feedback? See my contact page. The site’s terms of use, privacy policy and image permissions are on the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use page.
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