Idaho resident Ed Viesturs is widely regarded as the country’s foremost high-altitude mountaineer. He is familiar to many from the 1996 IMAX Everest Expedition documentary and in 2002, he was awarded the historic Lowell Thomas Award by the Explorer’s Club for outstanding achievement in the field of mountaineering. In winning the award, he joined an elite group of climbers including Sir Edmund Hillary. In 1992 he was awarded the American Alpine Club Sowles Award for his participation in two rescues on K-2.
Viesturs is a professional mountaineer and works as a design consultant for several prominent outdoor equipment manufacturers including Mountain Hardwear and Timberland. He also represents companies such as Rolex and Cisco Systems.
Viesturs has successfully reached the summits of the world’s fourteen 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, an 18 year project he christened Endeavor 8000. His goal was completed on May 12, 2005 with the ascent of Annapurna, one of the world’s most treacherous peaks. He is one of only a handful of climbers in history (and the only American) to accomplish this. During this 18 year span he went on 29 Himalayan expeditions, reached the summit on 20 of these occasions and stood on the top of Everest six times. He climbs without the benefit of an oxygen tank, which can be burdensome and potentially troublesome. Only a superior conditioned athlete can scale heights of 25,000 feet without artificial oxygen – a fact Viesturs has turned into an important metaphor for his audiences.
Viesturs' motto has always been that climbing is a round trip. All of the planning and focus during his climbs maintain this ethic and he is not shy about turning back from a climb if conditions are too severe. In spite of his conservative attitude, Viesturs has been one of the most successful Himalayan climbers in American history. His story is about risk management as well as being patient enough for conditions to allow an ascent. Ultimately, in his words, “The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay and when to retreat".
NFL's Seattle Seahawks brought in Viesturs before their 2005 season to speak to them about teamwork. The team and coaches then incorporated some of his messages and ideas into their practices and games and went on to play in the Super Bowl that same year. According to Viesturs, regardless of the industry, teamwork is the same, “It is an implicit trust in, and recognition, that the person next to you is No. 1,” he explains. “If we’re climbing a mountain together and you slip and fall, I’m there to save your life – which is the ultimate definition of teamwork". Another lesson Viesturs espouses is the importance of perseverance, or going step by step and not getting discouraged when working toward your goal. As an example of this, Viesturs recalls once being just 300 feet away from the top of Mount Everest when he had to turn back.
In October 2005 Viesturs' best-selling autobiography No Shortcuts To The Top was published and released by Random House Books. The book covers in detail his career as a mountaineer, how he prepares for his expeditions and his philosophy on managing inherent risks. In October 2009, Viesturs released his second book, K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain, published by Broadway. Viesturs third book, The Will to Climb: Obsession and Commitment and the Quest to Climb Annapurna - the World's Deadliest Peak was released on October 4, 2011.
Ed Viesturs, award-winning mountaineer and adventurer, is available through IMG Speakers Bureau for speaking engagements. Ed Viesturs is also available for motivational seminars and much more. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking Ed Viesturs.
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