Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Annapurna: the world’s deadliest peak

Ed Viesturs describes his quest to be the world’s top mountaineer

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By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Renowned author and mountain climber Ed Viesturs autographs his latest book, “The Will to Climb,” prior to a presentation Monday evening at the Community School theater. An overflow crowd attended the event to hear of Viesturs’ quest to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world, including Annapurna, known as the world’s deadliest peak. Photo by Willy Cook

Renowned author and mountain climber Ed Viesturs told an overflow audience at the Community School theater Monday night that after he climbed Mount Everest his first time, he had to go back because he left his wallet there.

That was the joke, but the reality is that Viesturs climbed Everest six more times.

"It's a pretty cool place to be by yourself—the highest person in the world," Viesturs said.

But climbing Everest seven times wasn't enough for Viesturs, and in 1989 he set a goal to climb all 14 of the world's highest peaks. It took him 18 years to do it, but he accomplished the task in 2005 by climbing Annapurna, a mountain in the Nepal Himalayas that has claimed the lives of 61 climbers and is known as the world's deadliest peak.

Annapurna was Viesturs' inspiration to become a professional mountain climber. He said he found his life ambition as a boy in the 1950s when he read an account by French climber Maurice Herzog of his ascent to the peak of Annapurna in 1950.

Herzog was the first to climb the mountain. Viesturs wrote in his newest book, "The Will to Climb," that 183 people, including himself, have accomplished the feat since then, but that 61 climbers have died in the attempt.

It's not the tallest of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, all in the Himalayas, but it has the highest climber mortality rate, and Viesturs described it as a "nasty, gnarly mountain to climb."

Originally from Illinois, Viesturs said he moved to Seattle to further his ambitions and learned to climb on Mount Rainier, an ascent that he has made more than 200 times.

He described mountain climbing as an endeavor that requires "planning for the worst and hoping for the best."

"It's all about evaluating and assessing conditions every step of the way," he said.

Viesturs said climbing a mountain such as Everest requires a team effort, dedication, training and acclimation to high and cold conditions. Everest requires about two months of establishing base camps and supply routes before an attempt can even be made on the summit.

Viesturs first joined an Everest expedition in 1987. He said his first attempt had to be called off because of weather conditions when he and other climbers were only 300 feet from the summit.

"We knew we could make it to the top, but we knew we'd die on the way down, and I didn't want to do that," he said. "Getting to the summit is half the climb, but it's only half. Getting down is the other half. Most of the people who are injured are on the way down."

Viesturs reached the summit of Everest on another expedition. He next climbed K2, the world's second highest peak, to further his quest of climbing all 14 of the world's highest mountains.

Over an 18-year period, Viesturs made 30 expeditions in the Himalayas. He said that on a third of them, he didn't reach the summit because of weather conditions.

Viesturs said climbers in the Himalayas have to "listen to the mountain" if they want to come back alive.

By 2005, Viesturs had climbed 13 of the world's highest peaks, but still had one left—Annapurna.

He said he considered giving up the quest because he decided that "it wouldn't be very smart of me to kill myself climbing the 14th mountain." However, he didn't quit, and decided to at least give it a try.

"I decided to go to the mountain and let it tell me," he said.

Attempts in 2000 and 2002 had been unsuccessful. Viesturs wrote in his book that Annapurna then became his "nemesis."

Viesturs said Annapurna is not technically the most difficult of the 14 highest mountains to climb, but it is "the most daunting" because it has no obvious route. Instead, the climber is challenged by the continual threat of avalanches, collapsing ice blocks, falling rocks and crevasses.

His book describes his successful climb of Annapurna in 2005, detailing his obsession and commitment and his fear.

"Finally, after an 18-year journey, I finally sat on top of Annapurna," Viesturs said, adding that it's not a mountain that he wants to climb a second time.

"I needed 30 years of skill, training and experience to climb that mountain," he said.

"We all have our Annapurna, and I think that's a good metaphor for life."

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com

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