Aug 7, 2011 / 5:00 am
Ryan Morice is an ambitious man who likes a challenge. For Morice, the greatest test is one of endurance. No road too far, no lake too wide, no mountain too far or too high, literally.
He moved to Kelowna back in 2000 to begin his tri-athlon training. When tri-athlons stopped satisfying his craving to do more, he took up Ironman Triathlon. Then he decided he could climb mountains.
"I had done hiking for a long time and some lower mountains in the Fraser Valley. It wasn't until 2008 when I summitted Mount Ranier, that was my first big glaciated mountain over 14,000 feet," says Morice.
That gave him a taste of what it was like on the big mountains and he was hooked.
"I really enjoyed that. So in 2009 I went down to Colorado wanting to get back to the 14,000 foot elevations so I spent a couple of weeks there and summitted 18 of the 14,000 foot peaks in 12 days."
He didn't just do it because it was there. The rigorous pace proved to Morice that he could tackle the big summits, and that means Mount Everest.
Before Everest, there are other mountains he must conquer, as even the 14,000 peaks of Colorado won't be enough as he prepares to climb beyond 20,000 feet.
The process of training properly and preparing his body for the extreme elevations takes years of both exercise and acclimatization.
So, the 39-year-old Kelowna tri-athlete plans to complete the Seven Summits. Of the many popular collections of mountains that climbers try to complete, the Seven Summits offers the widest variety of experiences.
The wind-beaten and barren "Stone Sentinel" of Aconcagua commands the South American Andes; Kilimanjaro's snow-capped volcano dominates Africa; the double-headed crown of Elbrus reigns as the surprising king of Europe; the recently discovered Vinson Massif hides within the ice wilderness of Antarctica.
There's Denali, in Alaska; Australasia with the choice of Kosciuszko or the pyramid of Carstensz; and the highest of them all, Everest, offers the most prized of all summits.
By climbing the first six, he'll have proven himself ready for Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 29,035 feet.
"I'll be using the other six as preparation for Everest, which will be the finale. Usually the guides want you to have a lot of experience before you even attempt Everest," says Morice.
That finale also includes an extra challenge. Morice hopes to join the small list of people who have climbed Everest without using supplementary oxygen, something only about 100 climbers have ever done.
"I'm attempting to do it. In the mountains leading up to it, it will give me a good indication of how my body is adjusting to that when it comes to the big climb. Of course, the Sherpas will have oxygen bottles with them, just in case."
On top of low oxygen levels and the thin atmosphere, Morice will also have to battle temperatures and windchills as low as minus 50 to minus 60 Celsius.
This is his big preparation year. After triathlon training during the summer months, he will head back to Colorado in September and do more of the 14,000-foot peaks.
By May of 2012 he'll be ready to tackle Denali first, then three others on the list of seven, plus an Ironman, then the final three mountains, plus an Ironman in 2013.
All within a 12 month period.
And if there's time, he might just do it all again.
"The grand plan is actually to do all seven of them twice in the one year period."
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