Viesturs, Ed 1959-

views updated

Viesturs, Ed 1959-

PERSONAL:

Born June 22, 1959, in Rockford, IL; married; wife's name Paula; children: Gil, Ella, Anabel. Education: University of Washington, undergraduate degree; Washington State University, D.V.M.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bainbridge Island, WA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Professional mountaineer, design consultant, and motivational speaker. Design consultant for Mountain Hardwear, Timberland, and Outdoor Research.

AWARDS, HONORS:

American Alpine Club Sowles Award, 1992, for mountain rescues; Lowell Thomas Award, Explorer's Club, 2002, for outstanding achievement in the field of mountaineering.

WRITINGS:

(With Peter Potterfield) Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants, National Geographic (Washington, DC), 2003.

(With David Roberts) No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ed Viesturs is a professional mountaineer who is widely known for his high-altitude climbs, in particular for being the first American to reach the summit of all fourteen of the world's mountains that are over 8,000 meters, without relying on supplemental oxygen. He first became interested in mountain climbing while attending an Illinois high school, and took up rock climbing in nearby Wisconsin. It was in Washington while attending university that he took his love of mountain climbing to the next level. In a biographical sketch on his home page, Viesturs commented: "I could see it [Mount Rainier] from my dorm window, and it became my focus. I was maniacal about it. Every weekend, I'd bum a ride or hitchhike, rain or shine, just to be on the mountain." Although he worked as a veterinarian after graduation, his mountain expeditions took up more and more time, and he eventually left his practice in order to focus on mountain climbing. He supplements his income by consulting for gear companies such as Mountain Hardwear, Timberland, and Outdoor Research, and by working throughout the United States as a motivational speaker.

Viesturs has written two autobiographies detailing his adventures. Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants, written with Peter Potterfield, was published before Viesturs achieved his astonishing goal and includes photographs from many of his most memorable Himalayan ascents. A Publishers Weekly reviewer remarked: "No book consisting solely of prose could ever produce gasps like the pictures contained herein." Gilbert Taylor wrote in a review for Booklist: "Viesturs possesses an intuitive compositional appreciation for the grandeur of the scenery."

A more detailed look into Viesturs's successes and failures is found in No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks, written with David Roberts. The story of his life as a mountaineer includes an account of the tragic deaths of IMAX film crew members on Mount Everest, which occurred within hours of his own failed ascent of the peak. "In addition to his own remarkable story," commented a Kirkus Reviews contributor, "Viesturs provides valuable portraits of the many other mountaineers, past and present, who climbed and sometimes perished on the same mountains." A critic for Publishers Weekly wrote: "Viesturs offers testimony to the sacrifices (personal and professional) in giving your life over to a dream." The book was described by Booklist reviewer David Pitt as "a compelling story of dedication, desperation, danger, derring-do, and devotion."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2003, Gilbert Taylor, review of Himalayan Quest: Ed Viesturs on the 8,000-Meter Giants, p. 1032; September 1, 2006, David Pitt, review of No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks, p. 50.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2006, review of No Shortcuts to the Top, p. 776.

Publishers Weekly, February 24, 2003, review of Himalayan Quest, p. 69; August 14, 2006, review of No Shortcuts to the Top, p. 197.