Alan Arnette Summits Elbrus

Congratulations are in order to my friend Alan Arnette this morning, as he has knocked off yet another of the Seven Summits. In an audio dispatch this morning Alan announced that he had successfully reached the top of Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe. This is the fourth successful expedition in Alan's  7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's project.

Located in the Western Caucasus Mountains in Russia, Elbrus stands 5642 meters (18,510 ft) in height. It is a popular climbing destination in Eastern Europe, and is considered one of the more moderately challenging climbs in the Seven Summits. That said, Alan reports that it took his team about seven and a half hours to reach the summit, from High Camp, today, although he sounded in great spirits and good health when he phoned in his dispatch.

Alan has now added Elbrus to his list of successful summits, joining Vinson in Antarctica, Aconcagua in South America, and Everest in Asia. Back in July he attempted to climb Denali, the tallest peak in North America, but was eventually forced to give up the climb due to persistently bad weather. Next up, he'll head to Africa in September to climb Kilimanjaro.

The 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's is a very important and personal project for Alan, who lost his mother to that awful disease a few years back. He is climbing to raise awareness of Alzheimer's as well as money to fund research with the Cure Alzheimer's Fund. A great cause for sure, and a great way to help the process.

Richard Parks Completes 737 Challenge

I've mentioned Richard Parks and his 737 Challenge in the past, but wanted to do a follow-up to report that he has completed the expedition, which had the ambitious goal of climbing the Seven Summits and visiting the Three Poles, in just seven months time.

According to this story, from Wales Online, Parks finished his journey last week by reaching the summit of Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. You would think that after he knocked off Everest in the spring, that Elbrus, which stands 5642 meters (18,510 ft) in height, would be a relatively easy climb, but according to the story, Richard struggled to the top as his strength and energy waned. Then again, getting so close to his final goal, and having traveled and climbed a lot in the past six+ months, I guess it should be expected that he would be a bit tired.

While standing on the summit, Parks said that his accomplishment hadn't set in yet, but a blog post that came a few days later allowed him to share some thoughts on the journey. He was back home in the U.K. at that point, and has a lot of media appearances on his agenda, and it sounds like he's still struggling to come to grips with his accomplishment.

The expedition website says that the official time to complete the 737 Challenge was six months, 11 days, 7 hours, and 53 minutes. In that time frame, Richard managed to climb the seven highest peaks on each of the seven continents, while also visiting the "three poles." That would be the North and South Pole of course, and the summit of Everest, which is sometimes referred to as the "third pole." While his polar journeys were last-degree ski expeditions, this is still one very impressive accomplishment. The travel time alone would be enough to wear a lot of people out, let alone climbing mountains and skiing through frozen wastelands.

It should also be noted that Parks undertook this journey to raise funds and awareness of the Marie Curie Cancer Care organization, a great cause that has inspired a number of adventurous Brits.

Congratulations Richard, well done!

Sherpa Climbs Seven Summits In 42 Days

Way back last March of last year I posted a story on Ang Chhiring Sherpa, who at the time was attempting to set a speed record for climbing the Seven Summits. Fast forward a year, and he has accomplished his goal and in highly impressive times.

According to this story, which is in French, (use Google Translate), A.C., as he has known, managed to knock off each of the seven summits in just 42 days of accumulated climbing. That's the amount of time he actually spent on the mountains itself, and not his his total time from start to finish of all of the mountains. The individual times for each of the peaks looks like this: Mount McKinley- 12 days; Kilimanjaro - 16 hours, 37 minutes round trip!); Elbrus - 8 hours, 14 minutes; Kosciusko - 2 hours, 32 minutes; Aconcagua - 7 days; Vinson - 4 days;  and Everest - 19 days.

A.C. actually finished off his quest last may when he completed his climb of Everest, but I hadn't seen confirmation of his final time until this story was send my way by Louis-Philippe Lonke earlier today. While the news might be old, it is still a very impressive time and accomplishment that deserves a salute.

It should also be noted that A.C. wasn't making the climb just to achieve a record. He was also raising funds and awareness for the Himalayan Women & Children Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping to educate women and provide basic health care and other services for those living in the Himalayan mountains.

A worthy cause to say the least.

Top Mountaineering Expeditions For Beginners

Outside Magazine's Adventure Adviser has a great post today answering the question: "What are the best beginner-level mountaineering expeditions across the world that a regular, fit trekker can attempt?" Seems like a natural question for fans of the outdoors who are looking to get into high altitude mountaineering for the first time.

And what does the Adviser recommend? His "very subjective" list of the top five mountains for beginners to cut their teeth on.

1. Mount Baker, Washington (10,781 feet)
2. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,340 feet)
3. Mount Khuiten, Mongolia (14,350 feet)
4. Mount Elbrus, Russia (18,500 feet)
5. Aconcagua, Argentina (22,840 feet)

Quite a good list, as you have a strong start to the Seven Summits and a couple of other challenging, yet scenic and spectacular climbs. None of these incredibly technical, and the biggest obstacle would be dealing with altitude, but they'll give you some skills that you can take on other climbs, and a taste of what it feels like to get up into the thinner air.

What do you think? Anything that should be added to the list? I was thinking about the 18,491-foot tall Orizaba in Mexico as a possible addition and obviously something like Rainier, at 14,411 feet, which is a popular mountain for potential climbers to cut their teeth.

Any other suggestions?

7 Summits, 7 Flights Update: One Down!

Last week I posted a story about the Seven Summits, Seven Flights Team, who were just setting off on their quest to climb the Seven Summit and then paraglide off of each of them. They had hoped to begin with Denali in June, but were denied access because of permit issues, but were instead en route to Russia, where they would attempt Elbrus.

According to the expedition's blog, the team reached the summit of Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, on Tuesday, and did indeed fly off the summit. Reading the story however, it seems like it was much tougher than they expected, both on the climb and then the takeoff of the flight as well. During the climb the team suffered the usual issues with altitude, including headaches, nausea, etc., but despite all of that they reached the 18,510 foot summit by 11 AM local time.

The blog entry also says that it was a clear, beautiful day for a climb, but not so much for a flight. There was zero wind, which made it very difficult for them to get up to speed and lift off in their paraglider. They had to run quite quickly to achieve flight, and anyone who has ever tried to run at altitude can tell that isn't easy to do. Despite those challenges however, they did manage to get airborne and successfully fly from the summit, which means they have one summit down, and six to go.

Yesterday, the team posted another blog entry, this time sharing their thoughts and feeling on reaching their first goal. As you might expect, they seem tired, recovering from the altitude, but generally in good spirits and happy to have made the first climb.

No word on which of the Summits is next, but a hearty congratulations to the team for getting off to a good start.

Seven Summits, Seven Flights

We've all heard about a number of climbers attempting the Seven Summits, that is to say, scaling the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. But three explorers are hoping to take that premise one step further, and not only climb those seven mountains, but then paraglide off of them once they reach the summit.

The project is the brain child of Pierre Carter, Marianne Schwankhart, and Peter Friedmann, who have dubbed their adventure the Seven Summits, Seven Flights expedition. The team will be sharing their experience via their blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page. According to their latest updates, they have left for Russia where they'll be making their first climb, and flight, on Elbrus, the 18,510 foot tall mountain that is the tallest in Europe. They had hoped to start with Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, this past June, but permit issues prevented them from getting underway there. They'll now turn there focus elsewhere for now, with Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Carstenzs Pyramid being the most likely next climbs on their schedule.

The team is of course hoping to be come the first to achieve the feat of paragliding the Seven Summits, but they are also hoping to raise money for the Smile Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping impoverished and facially disfigured children in South Africa, the home country for the Seven Summits, Seven Flights team.

Seems like a very cool adventure. These three are thinking ahead. They'll be able to expend all of their energy on the climb, and take it easy on the descent thanks to a nice, relaxing flight back to the bottom. Good luck to Pierre, Marianne, and Peter, enjoy Russia!

Thanks to Alan Masterson for sending this my way!

Another Young Mountaineer Climbs For A Cause

We've all marveled at the stories of Jordan Romero, who at the age of 13 became the youngest to summit Everest last month. Last week, Mountain Hardware introduced their newest, and youngest, sponsored athlete, in the form of 12-year old climber Matt Moniz. Even at that tender age, Matt has already managed to successfully summit Denali, Whitney, and Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in the Rocky Mountains. Even more amazing, he did all three of those in just eight days!  He has also been up Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, and Elbrus, and made the trek to Everest Base Camp as well.

While Matt clearly loves to climb, and doesn't lack skills in that department either, he also is climbing for a cause. He hopes to raise funds for research on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Matt's best friend, Iain Hess, suffers from PAH, and the young climber hoped to dedicate his expeditions toward helping his pal in any way that he could. 


Last year in July, Matt set out to climb 14 of Colorado's 14ers in just 14 days, and in the process he raised $20,000 for his cause. It helped to establish the Iain Hess Breathe Easy Fund. Turns out, it only took Matt and his team, 8 days to bag those peaks. 


This is a great example of a young adventurer who seems to love what he is doing, and has a good cause that he is trying to support. I loved this story when I read it, and thought it was worth sharing here too. Great story!

The Costs of Climbing The Seven Summits

The Outpost, the official blog of Outdoorzy.com, has an interesting post up today that examines the costs of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on all seven continents.

The article looks at several broad categories and gives a good estimate of what each of them costs. For instance, they say that it'll set you back roughly $1170 for training to ensure you know what you're doing on those mountains, and another $9200 in airfare just to fly to the various countries that is home to one of these mountains. Throw in another $1500 for "incidentals", which covers such things as visas and passports, and things start to add up quickly.

Of course, the largest category is for the guide services necessary to climb the 7 (+1) mountains. The Outpost says that you can expect to pay between $105,850 - $169,900 on guides depending on who you choose to go with. They do note that this is an area that can be highly customized, and that's why there is such a large variance in the cost. Guide services are not all created equal, and sometimes you get what you pay for. Besides, do you really want to go cut-rate on this kind of trip?

The one category that I might disagree with their estimate on is gear, which they say will cost you $2000. In my opinion that is on the very low side, as I've seen down suits and thermal boots for Everest that will cost you that much alone. But I suppose, that this is, once again, an area that can really vary greatly, and you do indeed get what you pay for here as well.

So what's the bottom line? Outdoorzy says that the grand total of making a Seven Summits bid is about $119,720 - $183,870. That doesn't include the time you'll need to get off work, as most of us aren't sponsored climbers either.

Should Jordan Romero Climb Everest?

Backpacker Magazine has an interesting story and editorial asking the question Should 13-year-old Jordan Romero Climb Everest? This seems a fitting question, considering the young man is planning on making an attempt on the world's highest mountain next spring, which would cap his quest to become the youngest person to climb all the Seven Summits, assuming he knocks off Vinson on schedule later this year.

I've been following Jordan's climbs fairly closely these past couple of years, updating his progress every time he managed to summit another one of the seven, which consists of the tallest mountains on each of the continents. This story from Backpacker is great for introducing Jordan to anyone who hasn't been following him thus far however, and it talks about how he became captivated with the idea after seeing a mural of the Seven Summits at school. The article also emphasizes the parental support he has gotten from his dad, as well as other adults in his life too.

Backpacker also goes into the criticism that Jordan and his father, Paul, have had to endure. There are plenty of people who think it's just plain wrong for a child to be climbing these mountains, and that the teenager is at risk every time he goes up. They also accuse Paul of being the kind of dad that pushes his son into doing things that he doesn't necessarily want to do. Reading the story you can tell that the criticism has stung on more than one occasion.

The family has plenty of supporters as well however, and chief amongst them are mountaineers who have climbed with Jordan or spent time with him in camps on the five mountains he's already completed. Others say that if nothing else, the teenager has goals and aspirations, and he's not sitting on the couch playing video games like so many other kids.

All in all, this is a good story about a good kid, who happens to have very big dreams. Everything I've read or seen on Jordan seems to indicate that he is a level headed climber, wise beyond his years, with a great support system around him. You have to admire his determination and toughness, that much is certain.

And what do I think about a 13-year old climbing Everest? Personally, I don't think its a very good idea. The mountain is challenging enough at any age, and sending someone so young up there just seems like it's asking for trouble. The mountain is fraught with dangers, and a death on Everest is always tragic. It just seems like it would be even more so for a climber of this age.

That said, I feel like if anyone can do it at 13, it is probably Jordan. I also know that his family won't put him into a position where he'll be going up higher than he should. But, as I said when 13-year old Laura Dekker was planning on circumnavigating the globe solo, I'm against these kids doing these things to earn a "record" for being the youngest to accomplish something. And if it isn't about a record ,then why not wait a few years? The mountain will still be there when Jordan is 16 for instance, and that three years can make a big difference in his physical maturity.

Either way, I wish him the best of luck. To find out more about Jordan, check out his website at JordanRomero.com

Book Review: Die Trying

In the world of mountaineering and adventure, the Seven Summits is one of the most sought after goals. In order to complete the challenge, a climber must successfully climb the tallest mountains on all seven continents. The list includes Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,340 feet), Aconcagua in South America (22,841 feet), Denali in North America (20,320 feet), Mt. Vinson in Antarctica (16,050 feet), Mt. Elbrus in Europe (18,442 feet), Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia (16,024), Mount Kosciuszko in Australia (7,310 feet), and of course Mt. Everest in Asia, the tallest mountain on the planet at 29,029 feet. Sharp eyed readers will have already noted that that was eight mountains and not seven. When the original list was put together by Dick Bass, the first man to climb all of the Seven Summits, he included just the continental mountains, and thus Kosciuszko in Australia was on the list. Later, the list was amended by Reinhold Messner to to included all of "Oceania" which then added Carstensz Pyramid to the list. Most climbers do both just to cover their bases.

The Seven Summits are the the central theme for the book Die Trying by Bo Parfet and Richard Buskin, which was released earlier this year. The book follows Parfet's quest to climb each of those mountains, as he goes on a journey of self discovery along the way.

Parfet does a competent job of telling his own story, starting as a young man who struggled with a learning disability, but over came that to go on graduate college and get a lucrative job on Wall Street. But in the midst of working many long hours, while constantly eating takeout, and slowly getting out of shape, Parfet decided he needed to put a little excitement into his life. So, he planned a trip to Tanzania to make the trek up Kilimanjaro. While in college he had done some climbing, and caught the bug, but he had never been up as high as he was on Kili, and when he reached the summit, it gave him a sense of accomplishment that ended up changing his life.

From there, Bo decided that he would move on Aconcagua, which other climbers told him was a nice test to see if he could handle even higher altitudes. At that time, he wasn't even considering the Seven Summits, just going on a mountain adventure that would get him out away from his desk and out of his office. Parfet became creative with his approach, even using his corporate ties to do fund raising for a variety of charities that would help get him to the places he wanted to go climbing in. Not only was he getting to climb mountains, he was doing some good along the way too.

Eventually mountaineering began to become a more important part of his life, and by the time he left for Denali, his third peak in the Seven Summits, he was in better shape, carrying more appropriate equipment, and had experience level had risen dramatically. After topping out successfully on that mountain, which is often seen as a warm-up for Everest, he began to think about completing the Seven Summits in earnest.

Overall, I enjoyed Die Trying, as it is a good read to familiarize yourself with the mountains that make up the Seven Summits, and learn the basics of mountaineering. Parfet does a good job of describing the conditions that are faced on each of the Summits, and explains the various approaches to climbing each of them as well. He also mixes in plenty of his own personality, giving the story a more accessible, personal approach. He comes across as a likable guy that you wouldn't mind sharing a camp fire with, swapping stories into the night.

But make no mistake, this book isn't amongst the all time great mountaineering books. It is a fun, light read, and if you're looking for something new for your bookshelf, then by all means, give this one a go, just don't expect Into Thin Air or even Dick Bass' own Seven Summits, which I preferred to this book, although it is a bit dated now. For a fun adventure story though, you could do a lot worse.

Jordan Romero Summits Carstensz Pyramid

I've written about Jordan Romero in the past. He's the 13-year old who is attempting to become the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits, and the latest entry on his blog indicates that he is now one step closer to that goal.

Jordan is currently in Indonesia where the word is that he has successfully reached the summit of Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest peak in Oceania. In the process, the teenager also managed to set a new record as the youngest person to complete that technical climb and reach the top of the 16,023 foot mountain. He now has just Mt. Vinson in Antarctica and Everest in Asia to complete the Seven Summits.

The current record for the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits is held by Johnny Strange, who finished his quest this past spring by topping out on Everest. Johnny is 17 years old, so obviously Jordan has a few years working in his favor to catch him. Despite that, his website says that he hopes to finish off the two remaining peaks within the next year, presumably going for Vinson in the December/January timeframe and then turning towards Everest in the spring.

The Seven Summits represent the highest mountains on the seven continents, and over the past 25 years or so have become one of the landmark achievements for outdoor adventure. The list has actually grown to include 8 mountains, as Mount Kosciuszko, the tallest point in Australia, has been supplanted with the much more challenging, and taller, Carstensz, but most of the Seven Summiteers do both, just to cover their bases. Besides those two, Vinson and Everest, the list includes the following: Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), and Aconcagua (South America).

I know we recently had some discussion around here regarding Laura Dekker and her plans to sail solo around the world at the age of 13, and now we have another 13-year old who is planning on tackling Everest next year. The difference between these two is vast however, as Jordan won't be making his Everest attempt alone, and his father, who goes with him on every climb, happens to be a high altitude medical specialist. That said, I'll still say that Everest isn't the best place for a 13-year old kid. I know they'll use sound judgement in their approach, but much like Laura, I think it would be okay for them to wait a few years before making the attempt. After all, what is the hurry?