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Ed Viesters
As America’s most active and accomplished world-class high-altitude mountain climber Ed Viesturs, "the
ultimate climbing machine," has set a goal to become the first American to reach the summit of all fourteen
of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. His quest, which he has dubbed "Endeavor
8000," began in 1989 with his successful ascent of the world’s third highest peak Kangchenjunga, located in
remote eastern Nepal. He has now sumitted twelve of these fourteen mountains.
Viesturs has been a climber most of his adult life. Known for his technical skill and shrewd judgement, he
became a recognized mountaineer when he won the 1992 American Alpine Club/Sowles Memorial Award.
This award, is "conferred from time to time on mountaineers for their unselfish devotion at personal risk to
themselves, or at sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the
mountains." It was given to him for his involvement in two separate rescues in 1992 on K-2, the second
highest mountain in the world.
Viesturs became world renowned as America's best high-altitude climber as a result of David Breashears'
seminal IMAX film, Everest, and the PBS NOVA film project, Into the Death Zone. During both film projects,
in 1996 and 1997, respectively, Viesturs climbed Everest on cue. As the climbing leader of the 1996 Everest
IMAX Filming Expedition, which entailed the first-ever filmed ascent to the summit of Everest with a large-
format IMAX camera, Viesturs put his successful Everest summits count at five, (three without supplemental
oxygen) a figure still unmatched by any other non-Sherpa climber.
In the spring of 1999, Viesturs completed the ascent of Manaslu and Dhaulagiri. The expedition, which was
sponsored by National Geographic, was featured as a part of the "Quest for Adventure" spring 2000 lecture
series. "Pushing the Limits", recounting the story of Viesturs’ demanding expedition and shared secrets of
climbing and surviving at high altitudes. The three-week ascent of Manaslu, which allowed acclimatization to
high-altitude conditions, was followed promptly by a rapid ascent of Dhaulagiri, taking care of number eleven
and twelve on Viesturs’ hit list.
Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Viesturs has recently finished filming for a Sony Pictures film The
Vertical Limit. Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie is about a fictional climb of K-2, and stars Bill Paxton,
Chris O'Donnel, and Scott Glenn. Viesturs plays himself in the film, which is to come out as a major
blockbuster for the summer 2000.
Still continuing his "Endeavor 8000", Viesturs has only two of these Himalayan giants left to climb. He is
making his assault on Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain on earth, in the spring of 2000, and hopes to
complete his goal of climbing all fourteen peaks by conquering Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat, in 2001.
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