Congratulations Andrew Lock
Australian Geographic Society 2009 Adventurer of the Year
W.L. Gore & Associates, creators of GORE-TEX® products, wish to congratulate mountaineer Andrew Lock, Australian Geographic Society 2009 Adventurer of the Year.
Already one of the world’s most accomplished climbers, the GORE-TEX® products Ambassador made history on Friday 2 October when he and Welsh climbing partner, Neil Ward, stood atop Mt Shishapangma - one of 14 “8000ers”, those mountains in the oxygen-starved heights above 8000 metres. In that instant, Lock not only became the first Australian to reach “Shisha’s” summit but just the 18th person in the world to climb all 14.
It was a quest that took Lock 16 years to complete and one that didn’t come easily. Mt Shishapangma had beaten him twice before but this time Lock took a different although longer route. After a month-long expedition and a four-day climb to their final camp, Lock and Ward started the push to the summit at 5am. Twelve hours later they could only afford to spend a few minutes on the summit as the weather worsened. As they descended, a storm hit and, rather than continue down-climbing in treacherous conditions, they decided it was safer to spend the night on the mountain at 7600 metres.
Two days later, having reached the relative safety of Advance Base Camp, exhausted and badly dehydrated, Lock described the ”worst night of (his) life.”
“We decided the safest though very unpleasant option was to bivouac on an ice ledge we cut with our axes. No tent, stove, sleeping bags. We sat on our packs for a little insulation. The biggest fear was being caught by oedema or high winds. Luckily neither happened. It snowed on us through the night and it was bitterly cold, -20 to -30 C but we made it through.”
Lock says he is thrilled to be honoured by the Australian Geographic Society.
“It’s fantastic. It’s a proud organisation with a long history and it’s wonderful to be acknowledged in this way. The Australian Geographic Society has long been a supporter of mine and they help to fund all sorts of adventurers every year,” said Lock.
The prestigious award, to be presented at the organisation’s annual dinner on Friday 16 October in Sydney, honours Lock’s love of adventure and his varied career as an adventurer as much as it does his amazing successes.
“My love of climbing lead me to climb the world’s highest peaks, but it’s the challenge that each peak represents that keeps me going. My only regret is that there aren’t more of them. If there were 20, I’d be climbing 20,” explained Lock who isn’t quite ready to hang up his ice axes yet. In March 2010 he plans to summit Everest for the third time.
“This time I’d like to do it alone and without supplementary oxygen,” he says with a grin.
W.L. Gore & Associates has long been a proud sponsor of Andrew Lock and his quest to conquer the world’s 14 highest mountains. Commenting on his achievements, Pip Helene from W.L. Gore & Associates said:
“What Andrew has accomplished throughout his Summit 8000 challenge is testament to the power of passion, discipline, patience and imagination. He is a truly extraordinary Australian and we are thrilled to hear that the Australian Geographic Society has bestowed him with such an exceptional honour.”
GORE-TEX® products and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates.
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