Last Wednesday I got to see one of the most amazing Seattle, heck, world personalities. Erica, Brian, Diesel and myself went to this month's National Geographic Speaker Series to see Ed Viesturs.
I first heard of Viesturs after picking up Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. The book has become a must for anybody who's interested in mountaineering and also became a national best-seller. It has also become one of my favorite books, partly because of Krakauer's storytelling, partly because the story of the 1996 tragedy where 8 people died trying to climb Everett is compelling and haunting.
Viesturs was eloquent, entertaining and yes, charming. He took us through his journey as the only American to climb all 14 8,000-meter peaks. His list of acquaintances reads like a mountaineering celeb book: Rob Hall, Scott Fisher, etc. I was truly amazed by his story as a boy in Illinois who, after reading Maurice Herzog's account of climbing Mount Annapurna, decided that one day he would climb it too. And so he did.
Last May, after two previous failed attempts, Viesturs summitted Annapurna. His journey was surrounded by a lot of buzz, and folks were able to follow his journey online, as it was covered by MSN Travel. Here are some links to videos he made during his journey:
Viesturs on the Summit of Annapurna
Avalanche Risk on Annapurna
Inside the Tent at Annapurna's Camp 2
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