
Ed Viesturs is a professional mountaineer who successfully reached the summits of all of the world’s fourteen 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, an 18 year project he christened Endeavor 8000. His goal was completed with his 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.
Viesturs was awarded National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year. Viesturs has also made seven successful ascents of Mt. Everest and more than two hundred ascents of Mount Rainier. He works as a design consultant for outdoor equipment manufacturer Eddie Bauer/First Ascent and is a Rolex Ambassador. Ed also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Big City Mountaineers (BCM), an organization that instills critical life skills in under-resourced youth through wilderness mentoring experiences that help keep kids in school, reduce violence and drug use.