Media Credit: Taylor Schefstrom Ed Viesturs, a self-described "altitude freak" met his goal of climbing the summits of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter-plus peaks without the use of oxygen. [Click to enlarge]

Ed Viesturs, considered to be one of America's leading alpinists, and speed climber Micah Dash spoke about their mountaineering adventures to a crowd of more than 280 students and community members in the Lillis Business Complex Tuesday night.

The event, organized by the Outdoor Program and McKenzie Outfitters, was part of the Mountain Hardware Sharp Edge Tour.

Viesturs, 48, is a self-described "altitude freak." He was born and raised in Illinois. His interest in mountaineering began after he read a book about the first successful summit of Annapurna, the 10th-highest peak in the world. Viesturs then moved to Seattle so he could meet other climbers and hone his skills as a mountaineer. Since then, he has completed 200 summit expeditions on Mount Rainier.

After climbing Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world at 29,029 feet, and Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak, Viesturs decided to attempt K2, ranked second highest in altitude. Mountaineering requires great amounts of time and money, Viesturs said, so he sold shirts to fund his trip.

"We literally did battle with this mountain," Viesturs said of K2. As conditions on the mountain worsened and everything seemed to crumble around him and his climbing partner, the expedition continued.

"I felt it was mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter," he said.

Despite being stuck in a storm for three days at more than 25,000 feet, the weather eventually cleared, allowing Viesturs and his partner to make a successful ascent.

Shortly thereafter, he set a goal to reach the summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter-plus peaks without the use of oxygen, a project he called Endeavor 8,000.

Over the next 18 years, with sponsorship from Mountain Hardware and other outdoor adventure clothing companies, Viesturs continued to work on his goal, finishing in May 2005 with an ascent of Annapurna, the mountain that initially piqued his interest. He is the only American to complete the goal laid out in Endeavor 8,000.

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