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Mount Everest-climbing Snapchatters, Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards, make it to the top

Benjamin Spillman
Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal
Adrian Ballinger of Squaw Valley, Calif., stood atop Mount Everest for the seventh time on Saturday. Ballinger, shown here during an attempted ski ascent of Makalu in 2015, climbed with Colorado climber Cory Richards.

 

RENO -- Tahoe-area climber Adrian Ballinger on Saturday joined an elite club of people who climbed to the top of Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen.

It was Ballinger's seventh time to the top of the mountain and his first without using supplemental oxygen. He attempted a non-oxygen climb last year but suffered hypothermia and stopped just 300 meters from the peak. 

Only 200 people have summited Everest without oxygen according to Eddie Bauer, a Ballinger sponsor.

Ballinger was climbing with Colorado climber and friend Cory Richards, who made climbed within 36 vertical meters of the summit before using supplemental oxygen. Ballinger, 41, and Richards, 35, became social media sensations last year when they scaled Everest while Snapchatting their journey. 

Richards made a non-oxygen summit last year on the same trip from which Ballinger turned back.

Richards used oxygen to complete the summit attempt this year to ensure Ballinger could complete his attempt.

"I've dreamt of summiting Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen since I was fourteen years old," Ballinger said in a written statement from the mountain. "Today Cory helped me turn that goal into a reality and for that I am forever grateful."

Ballinger, a longtime Himalayan guide, skier and climber, is known for his work in pioneering lighter and faster mountaineering expeditions.

He's also known for documenting his major attempts on social media. The Everest attempt was documented on several social platforms, including Snapchat, using the hashtag #everestnofilter.

Mid to late May is peak climbing season for Everest. Already this year Spanish climber Kilian Jorney is said to have broken a speed record by ascending twice in a week without oxygen. 

Four other people died making attempts on Everest. The tallest mountain on the planet, Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet in elevation at its summit. That's about twice the height of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 United States. 

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