Everest 2007:  Learning without Limits Everest Expedition: Manny Summits Everest

SAT MESSAGE: Manny Summits Everest!

Dispatches

Manuel Pizarro
Founder and co-leader of Climb High Expeditions, was born in Valparaiso, Chile. His first language is Spanish and after immigrating to Canada in 1973, he learned to speak French and English as well. As a young man, “Manny” joined The Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It was in this environment that he learned his first skills as an outdoors enthusiast. Paramilitary requirements of being a pilot in this organization equipped him with reliable, essential, and practical experience with summer and winter survival skills.
In 1985, Manny started his climbing career on the smooth slopes of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. During these years, he merged his paramilitary knowledge with his ski mountaineering skills. His experience as an extreme alpine skier and ice climber gave him the confidence to challenge Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. It was during this expedition that he met Jim Albert and both men became fast friends. Jim and Manny reached the summit on January 20th and 21st, 1995. Manny has since logged two more climbs to Aconcagua and is soon returning for a fourth time with clients from Montréal, Québec.
In 1998, Manny reached the summit of Surya Peak in Nepal (17,800 ft). He also participated in several high altitude treks in the Everest region, where he familiarized himself with the Base Camp and Kala Pattar Peak (18,445 ft). During this trip, Manny was commended for his assistance in retrieving the body of fellow climber Luther Jerstad who was part of the 1963 “All American Expedition” to Mt. Everest. Mr. Jerstad unfortunately passed away from heart failure during the trek to Everest Base Camp accompanied by his grandson. Dr. Cameron Bangs, a leading expert in frostbite research, was present during the ordeal and personally thanked Manny for his efforts.
Throughout the last decade, Manny has been leading expeditionary teams to some of the tallest mountains in the world. In 2000, he reached the summit of Mt. McKinley in Alaska (20,320 ft). In April of 2002, he reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,450 ft). Altogether, he has logged over five thousand hours of expedition style climbing experience in several parts of the world.
With Manny and Jimmy, safety comes first. As they matured as humans and climbers, they began to see and feel the amazing parallels between climbing mountains and life itself. Although these endeavours are extremely demanding on the body and mind, Manny truly believes that they teach human beings the true meaning of determination, perseverance, teamwork, and conflict resolution, and above all, the value of learning from our mistakes. Painful lessons have taught them that to reach a state of glory, we must sometimes fall from grace, rebuild, and start all over again. And at times, Mother Nature was relentless with Manny and his teammates forcing them to retreat from their summit bids as the only way to survive. We embark on these projects because we love climbing and because we truly believe that our expeditions help people look beyond the limitations of their distinctive challenge, be it physical, mental, or educational. We aim to evoke imagination, courage and, perseverance in our clients. While it is true that we want to quench our own thirst for personal adventure, we also want others to benefit from our dreams in realizing their own.

Dispatches

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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