“If you can dream it, you can do it,” says Ed Viesturs.
He would know. The Seattle mountaineer in May became the first American to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. As if that wasn’t challenge enough, the 46-year-old superclimber ascended each of the 8,000-meter peaks without using bottled oxygen.
Eschewing supplemental O2 meant each of Viesturs’ steps in the so-called “death zone” above 26,000 feet was punctuated with about 20 breaths.
It was, he says, “more intriguing” to climb the monster mounts without extra oxygen.
“You have to climb the mountain under its own terms rather than reduce it to your level,” said the father of three who spent 16 years planning, preparing and climbing the 14 mega-peaks. “It seemed more interesting to do it without supplemental oxygen. It was simpler, too. Carrying and relying on oxygen is just one more thing that can go wrong.
“Plus, I like things that are kind of difficult, I guess.”
Yes, there were times he wondered why he was not huffing gas instead of the barren air on high. But he never pined for the tanks. Climbing the mountain “au natural” was part of a quest he was not about to abandon because he felt worked.
“It’s really physically hard, and then it becomes mentally hard. You just have to tell yourself it’s worth it. Ultimately, it feels great to accomplish something like that,” he said. “It’s just more personally rewarding.”
Nevertheless, Viesturs says he’s done with high-altitude climbing. Of course a climber of his caliber never leaves the sport voluntarily. He will climb and seek adventure. Just not in the brain-gobbling hinterlands above 26,000 feet.
But then a few years back he swore off Everest after five climbs. He made a pact with pals in a club they called Everest Anonymous. He ended up forking over $1,000 when he broke the pact and climbed the world’s highest peak a sixth time.
“I learned. I never say never to Everest,” he said of his friendly bond forged with some of the world’s most accomplished mountain men.
Since his first 8,000-meter peak – Kangchenjunga, the world’s third highest in the Himalayas in 1989 – Viesturs recognized he was capable of more. By 1994, when top-tier gear maker Mountain Hardwear signed up as his sponsor, he had spent every moment driven toward his monumental goal of ascending the world’s highest peaks without bottled oxygen.
That meant if he wasn’t climbing or planning logistically complicated ascents, he was cajoling sponsors or training, which is a seven-day-a-week endeavor.
“That persistence over time is what I think is most significant,” said Phil Powers, executive director of the Golden-based American Alpine Club. “He had to be at the top of his game and make good decisions for nearly 20 years to be able to achieve this. That kind of dedication is extremely rare.”
Viesturs didn’t grow up climbing. He was raised in Illinois, where his outdoor experiences mostly involved swimming in a lake.
In high school, he devoured climbing literature and dreamed of someday being a mountain adventurer. After graduating he left for Seattle and devoted his life to climbing. Less than 30 years later, he has his own chapter in the world’s character-rich climbing history.
“I like to think I’ve sent a message that says live your dreams. Don’t get discouraged to step out of the box and do something different than the normal. We all can get in this rut: Go to school to get a job so you can retire. If you have the patience and passion, aiming high is worth it,” he said. “Great things require great effort but the greater the effort, the greater the reward.”
See it — Ed Viesturs will bring his story and slide show to the Boulder Theater on Wednesday. Tickets are available at REI.
