14 times 8,000 = amazing!
Awesome story of perseverance and dedication. There are 14 mountain peaks with elevations over 8K Meters (26,250 feet -- the same altitude commercial airplanes fly) Now one person has summited them all.
From
MSN News/Seattle:
First American summits world’s 14 tallest peaks
Conquest of Nepal's Annapurna ends 18-year quest for Seattle man
A Seattle man has become the first American to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, an 18-year adventure that culminated Thursday on the summit of Nepal’s 26,545-foot Annapurna.
And more:
Success on third attempt
It was their third attempt to conquer the Himalayan giant, statistically the world’s most dangerous mountain for climbers: One dies for every two who reach the top.
Viesturs nicknamed his bid to reach all 14 of the summits "Endeavor 8000." On a Web page detailing his exploits, he said: "I'm a very goal-oriented person, and I like things that take a long time to accomplish."
A veterinarian by training, Viesturs attained all 14 summits without the use of supplemental oxygen. "I climb without bottled oxygen, even if it keeps me from reaching the summit," he wrote on his Web site. "My personal goal is to see how I can perform, to experience the mountain as it is without reducing it to my level. For me, how I reach the top is more important than whether I do."
Need a definition for the word Iron Man -- look to Ed.
That is athletics -- for-profit arena games are not.
Here is a gorgeous photograph of the Annapurna summit at dawn:
Posted by DaveH at May 12, 2005 11:00 PM