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SAN FRANCISCO, CA. – Today award-winning photojournalist Cory Richards celebrated his first successful summit of Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, a feat only 200 people have ever been known to accomplish. Professional climber and Strava mountaineer Adrian Ballinger climbed alongside Richards, and made the decision to turn back at 27,822 feet (8,840 meters). Having summited Mount Everest seven times, this was Ballinger’s first attempt without supplemental oxygen and from the North side of the mountain. Though difficult, Ballinger’s decision was courageous and demonstrates his astute knowledge of the risks associated with this climb.
The two used Strava, the social network for athletes, to track their entire expedition, and shared their live data such as the route, distance, time, pace and heart rate.
Strava was one of three social platforms that documented the first Mount Everest expedition shared live on social media, allowing outdoor enthusiasts to stay updated on their journey via Adrian’s Strava feed. Strava offered an in-depth experience of Adrian’s and Cory’s climb up Mount Everest, showing the athleticism, data and difficulty behind their summit.
View the entire expedition on Adrian Ballinger’s and Cory Richards’ Strava accounts and on Instagram by following@adrianballinger, @coryrichards and #EverestNoFilter.
In addition to Strava, their expedition partners include Eddie Bauer, Alpenglow Expeditions, and Soylent.
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About Strava
Strava unlocks potential through the power and purpose of sport. Designed by athletes, for athletes, Strava’s mobile apps and website connect millions of runners and cyclists every day. For more information visit www.strava.com.
About Adrian Ballinger
Adrian Ballinger is one of the USA’s premier high-altitude ski mountaineers and mountain guides, and the only American guide to have both AMGA/IFMGA guide’s certification (one of 75 in the USA) and more than 10 summits of 8,000 meter peaks (12 total, including 6 summits of Mt. Everest). As founder and head guide of Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian has been guiding full-time for twenty years and has led over 100 international climbing expeditions on 6 continents. His personal ski descents include the first descent of Manaslu (8th tallest peak in the world), and Cho Oyu (6th tallest peak in the world), making him the only American to have successfully skied two 8000-meter peaks.
About Cory Richards
Cory Richards is an esteemed alpine athlete as well as a National Geographic Photographer Fellow and filmmaker whose expeditions to the greater ranges of the world has made a leader in adventure and expedition photography. His film work has won awards at nearly every major adventure film festival including the grand prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. In 2011, he was awarded the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Award for his efforts as both a climber and visual storyteller. He’s the first and only American to summit an 8000m peak in winter and this is his second attempt to climb Everest without oxygen. He joined the Eddie Bauer Guide Team as an alpine climbing athlete in October 2015.