Today is a big day for our friend Alan Arnette, who has announced that he’ll be climbing the 7 summits to raise awareness and funds for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Alan has dubbed his adventure the 7 Summits Climbs For Alzheimers: Memories Are Everything expedition, and has set an ambitious agenda for himself, as he hopes to complete all of the climbs in just one year.
The expedition gets underway in just a few weeks time when Alan will jet off to Antarctica where he’ll face the first of his seven climbs in the form of the 4897 meter (16,066 ft) Mt. Vinson. From there, he’ll move on to Aconcagua in Argentina (6962m/22841 ft) and then Everest (8850m/29035 ft) for the spring season. After that, it will be Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, at 6194m (20320 ft), followed by Africa’s Kilimanjaro (5986m/19340 ft), and Elbrus in Russia, which stands 5633m (18481 ft). Finally, he’ll finish off the 7 Summits with a challenging technical climb of Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia, which is 4884m (16,023 ft) and a bonus stroll up Kosciuszko (2228m/7310 ft) in Australia for good measure.
This is an interesting schedule of climbs for the seven summits, and certainly not the norm. Most climbers save Everest, the hardest, for last, and work their way up to the bigger peaks by cutting their teeth on climbs like Kilimanjaro and Elbrus first. But Alan is a mountaineer with a lot of experience, he has been to Everest on three separate occasions after all, so he’ll get things started in grand fashion down in Antarctica, which can be quite a logistical challenge.
As I mentioned, Alan is working to raise money for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and he has given us a fun and easy way to be a part of that process. He has proposed donating one cent for every foot climbed on a particular mountain, so if he reaches the summit of Vinson for instance, the donation would be $91 while a successful climb on Carstensz Pyramid would garner $36 for the cause. Everest, being the tallest mountain on the planet, would set you back $196. For more information and to make a pledge, click here.
On a personal note, I want to send Alan a message of congratulations. I know how long and hard he has worked to get this project off the ground and I know just how personal this is for him. Alan’s mom, Ida, suffered with Alzheimers in the final years of her life, and he has seen what this terrible disease can do first hand. Alan, your dedication and determination to launch this 7 Summits expedition is an inspiration to us all, and we’ll be following along every step of the way. Good luck and Godspeed!
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Good luck Alan! Congratulations.