Ed Viesturs, considered to be one of America’s leading alpinists, and speed climber Micah Dash spoke about their mountaineering adventures to a crowd of more than 280 students and community members in the Lillis Business Complex Tuesday night.
The event, organized by the Outdoor Program and McKenzie Outfitters, was part of the Mountain Hardware Sharp Edge Tour.
Viesturs, 48, is a self-described “altitude freak.” He was born and raised in Illinois. His interest in mountaineering began after he read a book about the first successful summit of Annapurna, the 10th-highest peak in the world. Viesturs then moved to Seattle so he could meet other climbers and hone his skills as a mountaineer. Since then, he has completed 200 summit expeditions on Mount Rainier.
After climbing Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world at 29,029 feet, and Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak, Viesturs decided to attempt K2, ranked second highest in altitude. Mountaineering requires great amounts of time and money, Viesturs said, so he sold shirts to fund his trip.
“We literally did battle with this mountain,” Viesturs said of K2. As conditions on the mountain worsened and everything seemed to crumble around him and his climbing partner, the expedition continued.
“I felt it was mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter,” he said.
Despite being stuck in a storm for three days at more than 25,000 feet, the weather eventually cleared, allowing Viesturs and his partner to make a successful ascent.
Shortly thereafter, he set a goal to reach the summit of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter-plus peaks without the use of oxygen, a project he called Endeavor 8,000.
Over the next 18 years, with sponsorship from Mountain Hardware and other outdoor adventure clothing companies, Viesturs continued to work on his goal, finishing in May 2005 with an ascent of Annapurna, the mountain that initially piqued his interest. He is the only American to complete the goal laid out in Endeavor 8,000.
“It had such nasty architecture,” he said of Annapurna. “I used all 30 years of experience.”
Also known for his role in the making of the IMAX movie, “Everest,” Viesturs wanted to show the world that people can climb Mount Everest and survive.
“You just need patience.”
Despite rumors that he may be retiring, Viesturs shared the plans of his next goal: sledding to the arctic poles. “It’ll be a more horizontal adventure.”
Free climber Micah Dash, 30, is best known for his quick ascents of big walls.
“I stick my hands and feet into the rock features and only use the rope if I fall,” he said while explaining his techniques. Dash infused his photo slide show with wit; his colorful descriptions of his adventures caused the audience to explode with laughter.
On a trip to India, for instance, he had a tense encounter with an Italian climbing group. Instead of letting the experience get to him, he made “I love Italians” his mantra for the remainder of the trip. Dash also made light of the physical discomforts of climbing with dry humor. He discussed the time he and climbing partner Jonny Copp embarked on the first ascent of a 19,200-foot route known as the “Shafat Fortress” in Kashmir, India, and spend two days perched on “shoulder-width” ledges while waiting out storm weather. “We let the mountain kind of dictate what happens to us,” Dash said .
Dash also enjoys the relationships he makes with people from all over.
“I learn a lot about the world,” Dash said.
After the presentation, Viesturs and Dash signed posters and answered questions.
University student Itzel Orozco is taking Rock Climbing II and was excited to hear the live accounts of what she’d read about in books. “It was way better than I expected,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for mountains and admire mountaineers.”
Knocking on heaven’s door
Daily Emerald
October 10, 2007
Taylor Schefstrom
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