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No Limits to What We
Can Achieve World-Class Adventurer Eric Alexander |
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Two more down, four to
go. That is if I choose to make the seven summits a goal of mine.
This summer I had the good fortune of being able to ski off the
summits of Mt. Elbrus in Russia and Mt. Kosciusko in Australia.
What a great time, perhaps if there is enough snow on Kili and
Aconcogua I will give skiing off six of the seven a try. What made
these two ski descents more special is that I was Erik Weihenmayers
ski guide as he too skied off of these two summits. One would
anticipate the weather to be much more foul at 18,500 than at
6,800 in the spring down under, but the reality of it was that this
little mountain put up quite a fight. While in Russia we did have a
whiteout for our summit bid, the temperature was quite nice and
there was little wind. The 4 of snow the night before gave us what
looked to be great skiing for the way down. |
| To our
dismay it served only to hide the 45 degree icy blue slope beneath -
it didnt matter, to be able to ski 9,500 non-stop vertical feet in
such a beautiful part of the world was amazing. A visit to a place
economically poor but rich in culture, spirit and snow made this an
experience I will long remember. |
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We were all set to
paraglide off the summit of Mt. Kosciusko, but the winds would not
have it. To keep it legit we started at 4am September 5th
making our way up the slopes now icy by the previous nights rain.
A couple of the team members, 1/3 of the way up, went for a 300M
slide as they lost grip with their skins and fell spinning towards
the bottom and its hard gum trees.
On our way up in the dark we fought winds up to 60mph and after
reaching the top of the ski slope at sunrise came upon our next
challenge - zero visibility (the blind leading the blind).
Navigating by compass I was able to bring us to the peak and
celebrate with champagne as EW made it #seven all seven of the
continental highest summits. After a quick drink and a fine
ski down, we were back at the lodge at 10:30am enjoying a delightful
breaky. |
| That is
my kind of mountaineering. A Roo steak for dinner, a couple
days at the beach and soon we were home planning our next trip to
Mt. Cook New Zealand - a peak which Climbing magazine calls
the most difficult peak in the area known as Australasia. |
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Eric
Alexander,
a world-class
skier, climber, and mountaineer is achieving his goals while
playing an instrumental role in helping others to achieve their
own. In 2001 he defied the odds and scaled Mt. Everest with his
blind- friend Erik Weihenmayer. When not instructing disabled
skiers in Vail, Colorado Eric directs Adventures Beyond Limits,
an organization that educates and encourages youth with
disabilities in the outdoors. For more on Eric see
here.
To book him e-mail
everestnews2004@adelphia.net
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