Mancos resident Rick St. Onge will share his once-in-a-life-time experience on Mount Everest, presenting a slideshow of his 1991 climb.
The presentation is Friday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Mancos Public Library.
St. Onge and an American team sponsored by the American Alpine Club embarked from Katmandu, Nepal, and joined up with a team of porters for the monthlong journey to the summit. Acclimating to the high altitude, establishing various basecamps, and traversing back and forth through the treacherous Khombu Icefall, St. Onge and the team encountered numerous challenges before several members triumphantly reached the summit of the highest peak in the world (29,028 feet).
“The weather was terrible,” St. Onge said. “We experienced 200 slides.”
In fact, the weather was so bad, few teams were successful.
“This was back in the day that you had to have a real climbing resume to get on Everest. You couldn’t just buy your way on,” he said.
“This wasn’t a guided trip,” he said, noting that te team of eight climbers carried their own gear.
St. Onge hopes to be the first of many locals to present in the “Life Is An Adventure” series. He said there are lots of locals with great stories to tell.
“I really want this to be the kickoff for a forum,” he said.
“Life is an Adventure” will meet monthly and will be an avenue for people to tell their stories and share them with Mancos, St. Onge said.
“This will help the community get to know each other,” he said.
St. Onge is an avid outdoor adventurer. His climbing experience includes seven expeditions in the Himalayas with successful summits of Himalchuli (26,000), Island Peak (29,300), Lantang, Yala 1 and Yala 2. He has also climbed mountains in Africa, South America, Scotland, Alaska, Pakistan and the United States. In addition to mountaineering he competed in kayaking, canoeing and sailing. After retiring from a career as an orthopedic specialist, Rick has taken up dog sled racing as his most recent pursuit.
He and his wife, Kate, currently operate Galloping Husky Ranch on the outskirts of Mancos.