It started as a dream, turned into a plan and then became a quest: become the first American to stand on the world’s 14 highest summits – all mountains above 8,000 meters – without the use of supplemental oxygen.
On May 12, Seattle-area mountaineer Ed Viesturs summitted Nepal’s 26,545-foot (8,091-meter) Mount Annapurna, placing the final piece in a difficult 16-year puzzle. Known as Endeavor 8000, Viesturs’ pursuit to reach the world’s highest peaks started in 1989 when he climbed Nepal’s 28,169-foot (8,586-meter) Mount Kanchenjunga. In the years that followed, he traveled to India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet, reaching the top of Mount Everest, K2, Lhotse, Makalu and other mountains above 8,000 meters (see timeline below).
He is one of only 13 mountaineers who has accomplished this feat – and only the fifth person to do so without the use of supplemental oxygen. He has publicly announced that he plans to retire from climbing big peaks now that Endeavor 8000 is complete – so what’s next for the 46-year-old from Bainbridge Island?
Outdoors NW caught up with Viesturs recently in Seattle to ask him a few questions about his recently completed journey and to find out what’s to come.
ONW: With all of the difficulties involved in each of the 14 peaks, which mountain was the toughest for you?
EV: I’d have to say that Annapurna was the most difficult. Everest and K2 had a lot of hard spots as well, and I wouldn’t characterize any of them as “easy,” but Annapurna was, without question, the hardest. It took me three tries [to reach the summit], for one thing. The weather was very challenging, and that alone cut the second attempt off. The route we chose was a difficult one, with a really steep technical section in the middle, and no real chances to take any breaks. On the third attempt, when we finally did make it to the top, the summit day was an 11-hour push. So that made it tough too.
ONW: You started this project in 1989. It’s been a long process.
EV: (laughs) Yes, it has.
ONW: What are some of the changes that you’ve witnessed since then, some of the ways that climbing has changed?
EV: Well, the biggest and most obvious difference between now and then is the sheer number of people that are involved with the sport. When I was doing my early Himalayan climbs, it wasn’t uncommon to be the only team on any given mountain. If you go to Everest now, you might find up to 40 teams there at one time.
The other big change is in the number of climbing guide services. There are way more now than there were in the 1980s and they aren’t just doing Rainier or Denali – they’re everywhere. Ninety percent of the climbs on Everest, for example, are guided trips. It used to be that climbing teams were made up of friends and fellow climbers that shared a common experience and ability level; those climbing relationships still exist, but the guiding industry has really changed the dynamic of groups in the mountains.
ONW: How do you account for the growth in climbing’s popularity? Do you see your efforts, and the publicity those efforts have received, as having played a part?
EV: Yeah, I suppose so. There are climbers like me who have popularized the sport, have raised its visibility somewhat. I think that there is a sense that some people just want to push themselves and excel, and climbing offers them the opportunity to make that happen.
ONW: Recently, a pair of climbers died in a blizzard on Mount Rainier. It appears that, even though they had enough gear with them to survive the storm, they didn’t have the knowledge or experience to use it correctly. With all the people that climb as clients of guide services, and the rise in popularity of climbing as a recreational sport, the level of climbing IQ seems to be dropping. Do you ever consider that your successes, and the publicity that has surrounded them, leads to people going where they shouldn’t, simply because they’ve seen it on TV and in the magazines?
EV: It’s possible. I hope not, and personally, I’ve always been very clear about people getting the proper level of instruction and experience before they go. But does a race car driver bear any responsibility for a car accident that occurs on a freeway somewhere? My message from the start has been, “Get off the couch.” I want people to be involved in outdoor adventures of their own – and whatever they choose to do, it’s better than the sedentary lifestyle that most Americans have. I am big into training and prior preparation, and I try to ensure that message gets across. Even though there are tragedies that do occur, I think that the great majority of climbers – whether guided or not – have a respect for the mountains and an understanding of the risks that are there.
ONW: What’s next? There are rumors that you are retiring from climbing.
EV: I don’t plan on climbing any more peaks over 8,000 meters, but I will continue climbing. I think the rumor that I am planning to retire from climbing is a result of people reading headlines but not the whole story.
ONW: What other adventures do you have on tap?
EV: Well, I have a lot of responsibilities to my sponsors, commitments like speaking engagements and appearances. I do a fair number of corporate lectures as well. It’s part of the deal: I get paid and supported on these great expeditions, but when I get back, there are dues that have to be paid. I also plan on spending more time with my family in the upcoming months, and do some different things.
ONW: Like what, bowling? What’s your average?
EV: (laughs) Oh man, I haven’t been bowling in so long, I can’t remember. I don’t even have an average. Nah, it’ll be something, but it won’t be bowling.
Ed Viesturs lives in Bainbridge Island, Wash., with his wife Paula, son Gilbert (7), and daughters Ella (4), and Anabel (5 months).
Ed Viesturs Timeline
• 1959 Born in Rockford, Il
• 1977 Climbed his first mountain – Mount St. Helens
• 1978 Viesturs first ascent of Mount Rainier
• 1983 Climbed Denali, the tallest peak in North America
• 1987 Graduated WSU with degree in Veterinary Medicine
• 1989 Successful Climb of Kanchenjunga
• 1990 Viesturs first ascent of Everest
• 1992 Successful climb of K2
• 1994 Endeavor 8000 project launched
• 1994 Successful climb of Lhotse
• 1994 Successful climb of Cho Oyu
• 1995 Successful climb of Makalu
• 1995 Successf ul climb of Gasherbrum II
• 1995 Successful climb of Gasherbrum I
• 1997 Successful climb of Broad Peak
• 1999 Successful climb of Manaslu
• 1999 Successful climb of Dhualagiri
• 2000 1st Attempt to climb Annapurna
• 2000 Cameo appearance in movie “Vertical Limit”
• 2001 Successful climb of Shishapangma
• 2002 2nd Attempt to climb Annapurna
• 2003 Successful climb of Nanga Parabat
• 2005 Successful climb of Annapurna
High Regards for Viesturs:
Christine Boskoff, Seattle, Wash., mountaineer and owner of Mountain Madness guiding company
“It’s exciting what Ed’s accomplished. Climbing at high altitudes without oxygen is really difficult,” she said, having taken part in eight 8,000-meter peak expeditions herself. When asked about Ed’s high-profile climb of Annapurna, she said, “I think it’s good that more and more Americans are being exposed to mountaineering – it not only makes people more environmentally aware, but it gets Americans traveling to other parts of the world and learning about other cultures.” Boskoff, 37, was the first American woman to summit Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world. She continues to climb and guide trips in the Americas, Africa, Antarctica, Asia and Europe.
Robert Link, Bend, Ore., mountaineer and owner of Mountain Link guiding company
“I think it’s awesome,” Link said of Ed’s completion of Endeavor 8000. “The commercialism of mountaineering may be overshadowing the sport, but because of Ed, true alpinism has resurfaced. So often the sport is in the news because of a tragedy. I’m glad that it’s something positive this time.” Link, 47, was a member of the first American team to ascend the North Face of Mount Kanchenjunga in 1989, along with Ed Viesturs and John Roskelley. Link was also a member of the 1990 Peace Climb on Mount Everest with Jim Whittaker.
John Roskelley, Spokane, Wash., mountaineer and member of the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board
“Having climbed in the Himalayas for 30 years, I know how hard it is to reach one peak above 8,000 meters, let alone all of them,” Roskelley said. “It could not have happened to a better person though,” he continued. “Ed is a great role model for young climbers. He climbs to achieve a personal goal, not because of fame or money. Ed Viesturs and Sir Edmund Hillary [the first mountaineer to reach the summit of Mount Everest] have controlled their fame in much the same way.” Roskelley, 56, was a member the first American team to ascend the North Face of Mount Kanchenjunga in 1989, along with Ed Viesturs and Robert Link. Roskelley is still climbing big peaks, mostly with his 23-year-old son, Jess.
Eric Simonson, Seattle, Wash., mountaineer and director with International Mountain Guides guiding company
“In 1993 I was on an expedition with Ed to Shishapangma. We stopped short of the summit by about 15 feet and turned back because of a slope that was dangerously steep and unstable. Rather than call it the summit, Ed went back and obtained the true summit,” Simonson said. “The integrity that Ed has is amazing. What everyone says about Ed is true,” said Simonson of Viesturs’ humble personality. “He is a great person, not just a great climber.” Eric Simonson, 49, is an American Mountain Guides Association certified guide and wrote “Ghosts of Everest” (The Mountaineers, 1999) and “Detectives on Everest” (The Mountaineers, 2002).
Lou Whittaker, Ashford, Wash., mountaineering pioneer and co-founder of Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated guiding company
“Ed was motivated, articulate and compatible enough with manufacturers to get sponsorships to fund these trips,” replied Whittaker, when asked what makes Viesturs such a great mountaineer. “You need to be as good in the city as you are on the mountain to achieve that.” Whittaker introduced Viesturs to high altitude mountaineering in1989.
“I recruited Ed for a trip up the North side of Kanchenjunga. He had no experience at that altitude, but had great potential.” That trip up Kanchenjunga became the first 8,000- meter summit in Viesturs’ quest. Whittaker, 76, was on the first American team to summit Mount Everest in 1963. He co-founded Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated in 1969 and was the first manager and ultimately CEO of Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI).
For more information about Endeavor 8000 and Ed’s upcoming plans, see www.edviesturs.com.
- Ken Campbell, of Tacoma, Wash., owns and operates Azimuth Expeditions, a sea kayak outfitter. His climbing resume includes peaks in the Cascades, the Olympics and the Sierra Nevada. His time above 8,000 meters, however, has been spent entirely in airplanes.
|
