Pete Thomas Outdoors

Climber seeks Seven Summits to benefit Alzheimer's research

Alan Arnette will embark later this month on a year-long quest to climb the tallest mountain on each continent, which he hopes will raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and $1 million for research toward finding a cure.

It's no spur-of-the-moment lark. Arnette, 54, spent nearly a decade caring for his mother as she succumbed to Alzheimer's, losing her memory in stages and ultimately forgetting even her name and everything about her life.

Ida Arnette passed away in August of 2009. Since then, her son has meticulously planned his mission to conquer the so-called Seven Summits, an achievement made by fewer than 400 people. If he completes it within a calendar year, he'll become one of only a handful of climbers to have done so.

"It's doable, but ambitious," said Phil Ershler, who works for International Mountain Guides and will lead some of Arnette's expeditions. "What I like is that he has a good business mind, too, so he's going to go up there and put his brain to work, add his lungs and his legs, and bring not only a greater awareness but big bucks to the cause."

Arnette announced his mission today during a satellite media tour from his home state of Colorado. He'll begin the series of climbs Nov. 24, when he leaves for Antarctica to ascend the 16,067-foot Mt. Vinson Massif. His itinerary includes Mt. Aconcagua in South America; Mt. Everest in Asia; Mt. Denali in North America; Mt. Elbrus in Europe; Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania.

For good measure he'll add an eighth peak, Mt. Kosciusko in Australia, which is sometimes counted instead of Carstensz as part of the Seven Summits.

He's asking that people who wish to support his odyssey donate at least a penny for every foot he climbs, via his expedition website or his personal website. He'll post frequent dispatches and via the Facebook link on his expedition website.

(Since climbs do not begin at sea level, the penny-per-foot donations are not as expensive as they might seem. For example, Arnette will begin the Vinson ascent from a base at 7,000 feet and his actual gain will be 9,067 feet, so the donation would be $91. Everest, which at 29,035 feet is the world's tallest mountain, entails a 19,635-foot gain and the donation would be $196.)

Arnette's climbing expeditions are already sponsored by corporations so 100% of the donations will benefit the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

The mountaineer, who has extensive climbing experience, knew little about Alzheimer's before his mother was diagnosed. He has since discovered that it's the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, where more than 5 million people are suffering from the disease. More than 25 million people suffer from Alzheimer's worldwide.

Jordan Romero, 13, reaches top of Mt. Everest

Jordan Romero, 13, has reached the top of Mt. Everest, his team announced. He becomes the youngest person to have scaled the world's tallest peak.

Rob Bailey, a spokesman for Romero's climbing party, confirmed that Romero achieved the 29,035-foot summit Saturday morning local time (Himalayan range).

Bailey had few other details. Romero, an eighth-grader from Big Bear Lake, Calif., was climbing with his father Paul and Paul's girlfriend, Karen Lundgren. The trio  now needs to bag Mount Vinson in Antarctica to complete the Seven Summits, or the tallest peak on each continent.

Romeo breaks a record held by Nepalese Mingkipa Sherpani, a female climber who in 2003 summited Everest via the Northeast Ridge Route at 15.

Romero and his two partners, along with three Sherpa porters, also used the more remote and less-traveled north-side route, via Tibet, because he was too young to obtain a permit in Nepal, the starting point for the more popular south route.

His trip was controversial because of his age and the mental and physical prowess required to reach the top of Everest, and because of the dangers associated with a mountain on which a handful of climbers perish each season.

It's too early for the Romero group to celebrate, as it still has to negotiate a descent on the highest of Himalayan giants. But if reports are accurate the kid has indeed stood atop the world, and that is cause for celebration.

-- Pete Thomas

A busy time on Mt. Everest as summit bids continue

One of the busiest destinations on the adventure front these past couple of days as been the top of Mt. Everest, where on Sunday and Monday climbers attained the world's tallest peak from the south-side and north-side routes.

High winds, blowing snow and gridlock high on the more popular south route made for long, wearying nights for many.

Among those making the summit was Carina Raiha, the first female climber from Finland to set foot on the 29,035-foot summit. She shared her triumphant moment with the country's president, via satellite phone.

Other summit pushes were underway or planned for later this week. Among those still waiting to make the march to the top is 13-year-old Jordan Romero, who is attempting to become the youngest person to have climbed Everest.

The Southern California mountaineer, at last check, was at Advanced Base Camp on the north-side route. 

These are precarious times for all of those high on the mountain, to be sure. So far, though, most climbers have been fortunate. There has been only one known fatality this season, versus about 100 successful summit bids.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Mt. Everest courtesy of Explorers Web

South Korean's historic climbing feat tarnished by controversy

South Korea's Oh Eun-sun on Tuesday reached the summit of Mount Annapurna in the Himalayas, becoming the first woman to set foot atop the world's 14 peaks standing 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) or higher.

However, in what seems to have turned into mountaineering's version of a cat fight, a Spanish woman who is one peak shy of this same accomplishment is being criticized for casting untimely doubt on her opponent's claim.

As Oh and her team advanced toward the summit of the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, Edurne Pasaban was quoted in the Spanish press as saying a Sherpa guide had stated that Oh did not actually set foot atop the Himalaya's Mount Kangchenjunga last year.

The timing of this negative press has led to a posting Tuesday on the Everest News website, accusing Pasaban for harboring "sour grapes."

Oh's feat is being recognized by the Nepal Mountaineering Assn., however, so those grapes are at least partially squashed.

Oh was not aware of this renewed criticism as she was aspiring toward the 26,545-foot summit of Annapurna, which she reached on all-fours as TV cameras rolled. The the debate has mostly involved her support team and Pasaban.

Oh last year told reporters she had, in fact, made the 28,169-foot top of Kangchenjunga: "It was bad weather. Three sherpas told me that I reached the top, and one of them took the picture," she said.

On Annapurna this week, one of the climber's Korean crew members told an ExplorersWeb correspondent: "We are very disappointed when we heard that Miss Pasaban mentioned Miss Oh's summit on Kangchenjunga. We think her words are very unfair. If she felt Miss Oh's summit was doubtful, she should have expressed her opinions at the time when everyone discussed it."

Pasaban, who still must climb the 26,335-foot Mount Shishapangma to complete her endeavor, is quoted by ExplorersWeb as saying she did not intend to stir such an ugly debate.

"I am confused. Had I known this so-called race was going to be such a mess, I would have thought twice before getting involved" she said. "I am not in this to get rich or famous--I just love climbing, it's my life, so I thought it was logical to complete the project."

-- Photo showing Oh Eun-sun (front) courtesy of Black Yak

Mt. Everest climbing season begins amid serious trash talk

As another Mt. Everest climbing season gets underway, much of the scrutiny is on Jordan Romero, 13, a Southern California resident who over the next several weeks will attempt to become the youngest person to summit the world's tallest peak.

But perhaps more noteworthy--especially among veteran climbers who disdain the pursuit of these kinds of records--is an expedition involving Apa Sherpa (pictured), a Nepalese mountaineer aspiring to conquer Everest for the 20th time.

Apa, who lives in Utah, seeks to round off a record number of ascents to the 29,035-foot top of the Himalayan giant. But the focus of the journey is not so much about who's going up, but what's coming down: hundreds of pounds of discarded gear and waste left behind by past climbers.

Yes, Apa will begin this monumental quest as chief trash collector, carrying a message to save the mountains.

The Eco-Everest Expedition is in its third year. Two years ago its climbing crew removed 143 pounds of human waste and more than 2,000 pounds of garbage from above Base Camp. Last year it hauled down 252 pounds of human waste and more than 12,000 pounds of garbage, including the wreckage of an Italian Army helicopter that crashed between Camp 1 and Camp II in 1973.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, who along with Apa is leading this year's expedition, said the goal this time is to collect garbage from more dangerous higher altitudes.