Alpinist Adrian Ballinger and Climbing Team Successfully Summit Mt. Everest and Cho Oyu in 23 Days

Over the weekend, veteran climber and expedition guide Adrian Ballinger successfully summited Mt. Everest with a team of three clients – Greg Penner (Chairman of Walmart), Jim Morrison (professional skier for The North Face), and Neal Beidleman (aerospace engineer and guide from the tragic 1996 Into Thin Air Everest expedition). Ballinger is the CEO and founder of Alpenglow Expeditions, a guided outdoor adventure company. The summit, the second of two mountains climbed this trip, was especially meaningful for Ballinger because it successfully demonstrated his Rapid Ascent expedition model, in action, with clients.

Rapid Ascent, a new climbing technique Ballinger and the team at Alpenglow Expeditions are pioneering, allows climbers to achieve their mountaineering goals with less time away from work and home, by getting them to acclimate to high altitude conditions before their trip commences. For this expedition, the team pre-acclimated several weeks at home, using special hypoxic tents, before flying to the Himalayas. Once there, they spent time on Cho Oyu, the sixth largest peak in the world, preparing for their ultimate goal, Mount Everest.

At one point, the team’s efforts were thwarted when they had to abort their initial Everest summit attempt due to faulty oxygen equipment.  For safety’s sake, the group turned back. In the end, good weather allowed them to make a second summit attempt on May 19^th, which was successful, and which gave the expedition an incredibly sunny view when they reached the top of Everest after a 22-hour push.

All in all, the Alpenglow Expeditions group summited two of the world’s tallest peaks in 23 days. They arrived April 29^th and departed, May 21^st.  Had they not experienced the oxygen system malfunction, the trip would have been completed in under 3 weeks.

“Rapid Ascent is the future of climbing,” says Ballinger. “There are so many benefits to it. Our busy clients can take less time away from work and family, they are impacted by the harsh mountain conditions for fewer days, and they’re much less likely to fall ill. It’s a win-win.”

Adrian Ballinger, founder and CEO of Alpenglow Expeditions, a Lake Tahoe-area based guide service that offers professional climbing adventures to all levels of enthusiasts, has now completed his eighth successful summit of Mount Everest.  Last year, Ballinger joined the exclusive ranks of climbers who have summited the world’s tallest peak without the use of supplemental oxygen.

Throughout their journey, Ballinger and his team were backed by a team of experts at base camp and expedition sponsors: Eddie Bauer, LA Sportiva, Favre Leuba, Blizzard, Tecnica and HiBall Energy Drinks.

To learn more about Alpenglow Expeditions and Rapid Ascent climbs visit: https://www.alpenglowexpeditions.com

About Alpenglow Expeditions

Alpenglow Expeditions is a world-renowned adventure travel company dedicated to providing unparalleled mountaineering experiences across the globe. With a focus on safety, ethics, and environmental stewardship, Alpenglow Expeditions has earned a reputation for excellence in the mountain guiding industry. Led by experienced AMGA/IFMGA guides and mountaineers, the company continues to inspire and empower climbers to achieve their mountaineering dreams.