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Theodore Fairhurst | |
---|---|
Born | Theodore Frederick Fairhurst April 18, 1947 |
Alma mater | Sir George Williams University now Concordia University |
Occupation(s) | Real Estate entrepreneur, mountain climber, adventurer, artist, professional speaker |
Years active | 2006–present |
Known for | Oldest in the world, first North American, and ninth person to successfully climb Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits Co-author of the book, Dare to reach, L'AVENTURE D'UNE VIE. |
Theodore Fairhurst (born April 18, 1947) is a Canadian entrepreneur, high-altitude mountaineer, author and public speaker. On December 9, 2018, at the age of 71 years and 231 days, Fairhurst became the oldest person in the world, 1st North American, and 9th person in history to have scaled all the Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits. [1]
Born in Westmount, Quebec of Canadian and English descent, Fairhurst grew up in Montreal. He went to Elizabeth Ballantyne Elementary School, Montreal West High School and Concordia University. [2] He began drawing and painting at age four and studied at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in his youth. At 22 years old, his desire to see and experience the world began and he traveled to Europe and Asia. In the Netherlands (1972), Fairhurst transported young travelers around Europe and North Africa for several years. [3]
Fairhurst continued producing art and exhibited at the Atrium Mensa in Amsterdam in 1974. He returned to Montreal in 1976 to advance his artistic career: "His interpretations of “man’s relationship to science and technology” painted on Plexiglas was a body of work that he is still very proud of. He had exhibitions here, in the U.S. and in Europe". [4]
In 1983, Fairhurst built a real estate development business in Montreal. He was recognized by the City de Montreal for several of his projects in 1992. He continues to manage these companies. [2]
Fairhurst became interested in mountains while living in Banff, Alberta in 1969. [3] Later the same year, he went to Nepal and hiked alone for 32 days from Kathmandu to the Khumbu Glacier at the foot of Mount Everest. This experience motivated him to return and climb Mount Everest. [5]
Between 2006 and 2014, Fairhurst completed the Seven Summits achievement by climbing Aconcagua, Denali, Vinson Massif, Mount Everest, Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, Puncak Jaya, and Mount Kosciuszko. [4] He also climbed Cho Oyu and Mont Blanc.
At the age of 70, within an approximate 8-month period from 2017 to 2018, Fairhurst successfully climbed 6 of the Volcanic Seven Summits. Unfortunately, when he was 75m from the top of his final climb, Ojos del Salado, he was shut down. Fairhurst ultimately completed the final climb on December 9, 2018, making him the ninth and first North American to complete both the Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits. He currently holds the record for being the oldest person in the world to accomplish this feat. [6]
Date | Summit Name | Continent | Summit Height |
---|---|---|---|
January 23, 2006 | Aconcagua [7] | South America | 22,841 ft / 6962m |
May 29, 2007 | Denali | North America | 20,320 ft / 6190m |
January 19, 2009 | Vinson Massif [8] | Antarctica | 16,050 ft/4,892m |
May 23, 2010 | Mount Everest [9] | Asia | 29,035 ft / 8,850m |
January 25, 2012 | Kilimanjaro | Africa | 19,341 ft / 5,895m |
August 8, 2012 | Mount Elbrus | Europe | 18,510 ft / 5,642m |
March 19, 2014 | Puncak Jaya | Oceania | 16024 ft / 4884m |
April 10, 2014 | Mount Kosciuszko | Australia | 7,310 ft / 2,228m |
Date | Summit Name | Continent | Summit Height |
---|---|---|---|
June 2, 2017 | Mount Elbrus | Europe | 18,510 ft / 5,642m |
June 9, 2017 | Kilimanjaro | Africa | 19,341 ft / 5,895m |
September 29, 2017 | Mount Damavand | Asia | 18,403 ft / 5,610m |
October 9, 2017 | Mount Giluwe | Oceania | 14,327 ft / 4,367m |
December 21, 2017 | Pico de Orizaba | North America | 18,491 ft / 5,636m |
January 14, 2018 | Mount Sidley | Antarctica | 14,058 ft / 4285m |
December 9, 2018 | Ojos del Salado | South America | 22,615 ft / 6,893m |
Date | Summit Name | Continent | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 29, 2006 | Mont Blanc | Europe | Highest mountain in Alps (15,777 ft / 4,808.7 m) |
October 5, 2008 | Cho Oyu [10] | Asia | 6th highest mountain in the World (26,864 ft / 8,188 m) |
Fairhurst's video Mount Everest ICE FALL has gone viral on YouTube with over 4.4 million views to date. He shot it with a helmet-mounted camera (POV) in the perspective of the climber. It has video images of the Khumbu Glacier as it breaks up descending from the Western Cwm to Base Camp. Voted top 10 at Killarney 2011 Adventure Film Festival.
Author Jean-Pierre Lemaitre discussed Fairhurst in his book, 'Pas d’excuses’, stating: "I have been impressed by the way Ted Fairhurst managed his life. His philosophy of life is in harmony with the messages and techniques that I present in my book. That's why I decided to make him a key figure in my book. Page after page we discover how he managed to live his passions and to have the life he always wanted. Ted is an example for our youth!" [11]
In 2010, Fairhurst served as the Honorary Chairman of the English Montreal School Board in its annual International Walk to School Day.
Featured in the francophone article chronicling his quest to climb the 7 Summits and Volvcanic 7 Summits: Des Laurentides à l’Everest: les hauts sommets de Theodore Fairhurst [12]
Fairhurst serves as a director of the ESPRIT DE CORPS FOUNDATION. [4]
Beyond mountaineering, Fairhurst has achieved numerous adventures. On August 2, 2014, Fairhurst sailed a Volvo Ocean 60 across the North Atlantic to Quebec.
The same year, Fairhurst cycled the Italian and Austrian Alps from Lake Garda (Italy) to Bludenz (Austria).
In 2015, Fairhurst, Marc-Antoine Laporte and a predetermined team of cycling enthusiasts, mountain biked across Scotland's Highlands, in what is known the Highlands Coast-to-Coast Challenge.
Vinson Massif is a large mountain massif in Antarctica that is 21 km (13 mi) long and 13 km (8 mi) wide and lies within the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. It overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from the South Pole. Vinson Massif was discovered in January 1958 by U.S. Navy aircraft. In 1961, the Vinson Massif was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN), after Carl G. Vinson, United States congressman from the state of Georgia, for his support for Antarctic exploration. On November 1, 2006, US-ACAN declared Mount Vinson and Vinson Massif to be separate entities. Vinson Massif lies within the unrecognised Chilean claim under the Antarctic Treaty System.
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven.
Lhotse is the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of 8,516 metres (27,940 ft) above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu region of Nepal.
Baruntse is a mountain in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, crowned by four peaks and bounded on the south by the Hunku Glacier, on the east by the Barun Glacier, and on the northwest by the Imja Glacier. It is considered as one of the best preparation peaks in the Himalayas for climbers readying themselves for eight-thousanders, however the mountain has a low success rate due to its technical difficulties, steep slopes and unpredictable weather conditions. It is open for beginners, but requires the use of fixed ropes to climb.
Robert Edwin Hall was a New Zealand mountaineer. He was the head guide of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition during which he, a fellow guide, and two clients died. A best-selling account of the expedition was given in Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, and the expedition has been dramatised in the 2015 film Everest. At the time of his death, Hall had just completed his fifth ascent to the summit of Everest, more at that time than any other non-Sherpa mountaineer.
Richard Daniel "Dick" Bass was an American businessman, rancher and mountaineer. He was the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah and the first man to climb the "Seven Summits", the tallest mountain on each continent.
Davorin "Davo" Karničar was a Slovene alpinist and ski mountaineer.
Ali Nasuh Mahruki is a professional mountain climber, writer, photographer and documentary film producer. He climbed to the summit of Mount Everest and was the first ever Turkish person to climb the Seven Summits.
Zed "Zeddy" Al Refai is a Kuwaiti climber. He was the first Arab to climb Mount Everest and the 46th person to climb all seven highest summits in the seven continents of the world.
William H. Cross is an American mountaineer.
Sergey Anatolyevich Kofanov is a Russian mountaineer.
Um Hong-gil is a South Korean mountaineer.
Krushnaa Patil is an Indian climber. In 2009, at the age of 19, she became the youngest Indian woman to successfully ascent Mount Everest, earth's highest mountain.
Garrett Madison is an American mountaineer, guide and expedition leader. Madison began guiding professionally in 1999 on Mount Rainier and has reached the summit of Mount Everest 14 times. His company, Madison Mountaineering, specializes in climbs on Mount Everest and other high altitude peaks, operates on the highest peaks on all seven continents, and also provides training programs and summit climbs in Washington State.
Rhys Jones is an English mountaineer and was the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits, and reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Danielle Fisher is an American mountain climber who in 2005 became the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits and the youngest American to climb Mount Everest.
Nimdoma Sherpa from Gauri Sankar, Dolakha District is a Nepalese mountain climber. In 2008 she became the youngest woman to climb Mount Everest and in 2009 she joined the Seven Summits Women Team, a team of Nepalese women whose goal is to climb the Seven Summits.
Pema Diki Sherpa is from Simigau, Gauri Sankar, Dolakha District, Nepalese mountain climber. In 2008 she became the youngest woman to climb Mount Everest and in 2009 she joined the Seven Summits Women Team, a team of Nepalese women whose goal is to climb the Seven Summits.
Satyarup Siddhanta is a Bangalore-based Indian mountaineer. Satyarup became the youngest mountaineer in the world and the first from India to climb both the Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits on 15 January 2019 at 10:10 pm Chile time. Guinness World Records approved this claim.
Carina Dayondon is a Filipina mountaineer, adventurer, and Philippine Coast Guard officer who was the first Filipina to reach the Seven Summits, the seven tallest mountains in every continent in the world, and the second Filipina to reach the summit of Mount Everest.