Climber strives for 7th heaven

WASILLA — The countdown has begun. In 18 days, Chris Longacre leaves to climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica, the final peak in his quest to summit the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.

He’s already checked six peaks off the list, including two in the past seven months, Mount Everest in May and Castensz Pyramid in October. Longacre leaves Dec. 26 on a three-week expedition to tackle the seventh summit, Mount Vinson in Antarctica.

“I’m trained up and ready to go,” said Longacre, 32, in October fresh from the summit of the Castensz Pyramid.

The first leg of this new adventure is a trip to Punta Arenas, Chile. From there, Longacre said he’s chartered passage with a company that will take him aboard a private jet transport for a four and a half hour flight to Antarctica, where the plane will land on a natural ice runway on Union Glacier. The same company will guide his summit attempt, too.

He said the ascent takes five to nine days, depending on weather and how quickly team members acclimatize to the elevation.

Longacre said Mount Vinson is not a technically difficult climb, but its elevation, latitude, cold temperatures and remote location make it a serious mountain.

The fourth-generation Alaskan caught the mountaineering bug at age 17 when he reached the summit of Mt. McKinley in 1999. That achievement inspired him to push to the top of the other six continents, he said.

Each climb has come with a hefty price tag.

At $45,000, the seventh summit will be the most costly of his expeditions, Longacre said. It is also the third summit he has pursued with the help of generous Alaska sponsors, he said.

For more information, to become a sponsor or to follow along with Longacre’s adventure, visit bit.ly/110IXl1.

Seven Summits

The Seven Summits are the highest points on all seven continents. Richard Bass was the first mountaineer to summit all seven on April 30, 1985. Here’s a list of the six peaks Chris Longacre has climbed, the continent where they are located, height and the year he reached the summit.

• Mount McKinley, North America, 20,320 feet, 1999.

• Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa, 19,341 feet, 2010.

• Mount Aconcagua, South America, 22,838 feet, 2011.

• Mount Elbrus, Europe, 18,510 feet, 2012.

• Mount Everest, Asia, 29,035, May 2013.

• Castensz Pyramid, Australasia, 16,024 feet, October 2013.

• Mount Vinson Massif, Antarctica, 16,050, January 2014 expedition planned.