American summits Everest for record 11th time

Last week we mentioned that Apa Sherpa, the legendary mountain guide, reached the summit of Mt. Everest, extending his record to an impressive 19th time on top of the world. A few days later, we noted that British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes also reached the summit, on his third attempt, at the age of 65.

Over the weekend, American mountaineer Dave Hahn, climbing with the First Ascent Team, also successfully topped out on the mountain, reaching the 29,035 foot summit, which is the highest point on the planet. For Hahn, this is his 11th trip up the mountain, a record for a non-Sherpa.

Hahn is a professional mountain guide who has scaled big mountains all over the world, and his resume includes 26 ascents of Mt. Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, and 18 summits of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. He's also been to the top of Mt. Rainier nearly 250 times in his illustrous career.

Congratulations to Dave, and the rest of the First Ascent Team for an amazing effort this year on Everest. With the entire team now down safely off the mountain, they are preparing for the trek back to Lukla, where they'll catch a flight to Kathmandu, and finally, after nearly two months in Nepal, they'll head home.

Filed under: Climbing, Asia, North America, Antarctica, Nepal