Eric Simons,
Boulder, CO
This article was written for Active Living Magazine
Mountaineering with MS:
Eric Simons and Team Climb Denali
Traversing one of the world’s most dangerous mountain peaks, battling 100-miles-per-hour winds, guarding against temperatures of 10 to 40 degrees below zero—Eric Simons can’t wait! In four months Eric and seven brave mountaineers will endure brutal weather and treacherous terrain to make a point that no one has ever made before.
Seven of the eight have multiple sclerosis (MS). Together they will be the first group of people with a serious, chronic disease to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains independent of able-bodied guides or climbing companions. Their mission, in part, is to motivate others with MS to seek therapy for their condition.
Lofty Goals
Eric, the group’s driving force, began gearing up for this climb more than a year ago. An avid rock, ice and alpine climber for 30 years, Eric was diagnosed with MS in 1995 at the age of 40. He battled the inhibitions and self-doubt that many new patients experience upon diagnosis, but quickly turned his trepidations into motivation. He re-channeled his passion for climbing from scaling rocks to mountaineering, where MS wouldn’t impede his physical abilities as much.
In 1999, Eric’s first major mountaineering challenge was taking on Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in Argentina. For this trip, Eric contacted Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, which provided funding to cover his expenses. The courageous expedition inspired Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals to create Betaseron® Champions of CourageSM, a program that recognizes the achievements of people with MS and helps fund their inspirational endeavors.
Eric was appointed Board Chairman of Champions of Courage at its inception. In August 2001, he set off on a new journey to climb three of the seven tallest summits in the world within 12 months—a feat that would impress even the healthiest of outdoorsmen. With the support of Champions of Courage he began preparing for the first of the climbs, to Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. He reached its 19,343 feet summit in October 2001.
Facing “the Harshest Environment in the World”
The second mountain in Eric’s series is North America’s tallest, Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, standing at 20,320 feet. Originally Eric planned on climbing the mountain with only one other person, a climbing buddy who also has MS. However, word spread through the MS community, and Eric quickly added five more men and two women—all but one have MS—to his expedition team. Overall, the group is entirely comprised of “ordinary people” who are determined to do something extraordinary.
“It’s great to have so much interest and participation in this climb,” Eric said. “I started out just wanting to achieve goals for myself in spite of my MS, and hopefully motivate other patients. Seeing how many people have joined us, the motivation factor seems to have worked quite well.”
Gearing Up
In a show of support, several companies are supplying gear for the climb. These sponsors include Sterling Rope, Dana Designs, SmartWool, Mountain Safety Research, and Leki USA (a top trekking poles manufacturer).
“A lot of companies are seeing the importance of this climb and are coming forth to help out,’” Eric explained. His enthusiasm about the trip comes through whether he’s talking about team coats or the inspiring stories of the climbers.
As for the team, though everyone in the group is in great physical shape, Eric says they’re still developing the dynamics of climbing as a team, as well as practicing with long climbs in inclement weather, lofty altitudes and hazardous terrain.
In mid-January most of the group met in Eric’s hometown of Boulder, Colorado for pre-climb experience building on Mt. Elbert, the state’s highest peak at 14,433 feet.
“The main thing we need to do is train. One of the guys in our group has been running around his neighborhood lugging 50-pound bags of birdseed in his backpack—that’s got to be a sight! And another woman is following his example; she’s been working out on her gym’s Stairmaster with 30 pounds of birdseed on her back. I don’t know why everyone’s such a big birdseed fan,” Eric laughed. “I just use gallons of water.”
The Denali climb is set for mid-May, and will take about one month for the group to complete. On average, mountaineers take 17 days to climb and descend the “West Buttress” route, which is also the most-traveled on the mountain. Eric is confident in his team, but he chose this route because it’s the “easiest,” yet still one of the harshest environments in the world. The West Buttress is also most accessible to emergency medical professionals and nearest to medical facilities.
Eric settled on a late spring climb to take advantage of weather that is more stable, and to use the snow bridges across crevasses when they are thickest. In addition, the team will have one of the few luxuries possible when climbing Denali: more hours of daylight.
Vertical Leap
With the team heading north in just a few months, Eric senses the growing excitement and anticipation, tinged with a bit of nerves. He explained that this is all part of the process, and thorough trip planning and preparation helps keep anxiety at bay. “I tend not to sleep as well when the trip starts getting close. I usually go over crevasse rescue techniques in my head every night until I fall asleep,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team continues to hone mountaineering skills with aggressive training, yet wary of over exertion that could cause minor sprains or injuries. Each person is thrilled to face the adventures of Denali.
Eric thinks the team’s collective excitement will carry them through the most challenging situations atop the mountain. “It’s been incredible even watching the folks who have never climbed a mountain before as they prepare to take this on,” he said. “They’re more than inspiring. They’re unstoppable.”
For more information on Eric’s past and future mountain expeditions, visit www.championsofcourage.org.
