Ed Viesturs
Seven-time Everest summiteer Ed Viesturs equips leaders and teams with proven strategies in resilience, teamwork, and decision-making to reach higher goals under pressure.
Why book Ed Viesturs for your next event
- Ed Viesturs accomplished one of the most difficult feats in mountaineering history, proving extraordinary discipline and endurance. He translates this unparalleled achievement into powerful lessons on goal-setting, resilience, and sustainable success for organizations worldwide.
- Having stood on the world’s highest peak seven times, Ed mastered the art of decision-making under immense pressure. His stories empower leaders and teams to stay focused, overcome setbacks, and maintain peak performance when it matters most.
- Recognized by National Geographic for his lifetime of groundbreaking climbs, Ed embodies perseverance and adaptability. His keynotes inspire companies to cultivate the same determination and focus required to thrive in today’s high-stakes business environments.
Non-binding request for Ed Viesturs
Reaching New Heights: Lessons from the World’s Highest Peaks
As one of history’s greatest mountaineers, a seven-time Everest summiteer, and National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year, this keynote speaker delivers powerful lessons on leadership, risk management, and resilience. His keynotes equip organizations to overcome obstacles, sustain momentum, and achieve peak performance under the toughest conditions.
Keynote Speaker Ed Viesturs is one of the world’s most accomplished high-altitude mountaineers and a recognized authority on resilience, leadership, and risk management. As the only American to successfully climb all fourteen of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, and a seven-time Everest summiteer, Ed has proven what it takes to achieve extraordinary goals in the face of relentless challenges. His experiences, captured in National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year recognition, the IMAX Everest documentary, and Jon Krakauer’s bestseller Into Thin Air, make his story both globally known and deeply inspiring.
In his keynotes, Ed translates the lessons of survival and success from the world’s highest peaks into powerful insights for organizations. He demonstrates how teamwork, perseverance, and sound decision-making under pressure are the keys to reaching ambitious targets while managing risks effectively. His message resonates with leaders navigating uncertainty, businesses striving for sustainable growth, and teams determined to perform at the highest level.
When you book Ed Viesturs for your event, you bring in a speaker who not only inspires with remarkable achievements but also equips audiences with actionable tools for resilience, trust, and leadership. Ed’s story proves that success is not just about reaching the summit, it is about making the journey sustainable, strategic, and transformative for individuals and organizations alike.
Keynotes
Keynote by Ed Vieturs:
NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOP
Viesturs lecture documents his primary goal of climbing the World’s 14 peaks over 8000 meters (26,000’ and above) without supplemental oxygen-a project he titled Endeavor 8000.
This effort took him 18 years to complete and in doing so became the only American and one of five people to accomplish this feat. The themes interwoven within this story are team work, leadership, goal setting, overcoming obstacles, commitment and risk management. His Powerpoint images showcase these efforts and complement the talk.
Key points for Viesturs’ lectures:
- "Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory". Climbing a mountain has to be a round trip. You need to plan ahead and have resources to make sure you finish what you set out to do.
- "Listen to your instincts". Make decisions based on your experience and gut feelings. Don't get caught up in group think.
- "Temper your ambition in the face of overwhelming risk". Be patient enough to wait for the right time to move forward, even if others are going ahead. My motto has always been “The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay, and when to retreat.”
- "Patience and persistence are keys to success but I believe that passion is the most critical ingredient". If you are passionate with what you do, you'll perform better, enjoy the process and be willing to take as long as it takes to succeed.
- “Perseverance and maintaining your standards of excellence through changing conditions is part of any long term endeavor”. If you are involved in any sort of project or campaign, you have to understand that the bad times go along with the good times. For most things though, in the long run, there is usually an upward trend, but it can be a bumpy road along the way. Believing in yourself and not compromising your standards for the sake of quick success are essential to any sustainable endeavor.
- “Teamwork, regardless of the industry, is the same: It is an implicit trust in and recognition that the person next to you is No. 1”.
Keynote by Ed Vieturs:
Everest Imax Expedition 1996 -Mountain Without Mercy
Viesturs lecture documents his roll in the 1996 Everest Imax expedition as climbing leader and featured character in what became the largest grossing Imax film in history.
This was Viesturs’ eighth expedition to Mt Everest and his fourth successful summit of the mountain. The main challenge of this project was to get a 40 pound Imax camera to the summit-something people had deemed impossible. He and his team spent three months filming and climbing, and near the end of this fateful season, were present during the tragedy that killed eight people high on Everest when a storm overwhelmed them.
Although his team was not directly involved, they provided supplies and manpower to save lives after the deadly events of May 10, which were also well documented in Jon Krakauer’s best seller INTO THIN AIR. Viesturs and his team eventually succeeded in their mission, despite many difficult obstacles and challenges. Team work, having a common goal, a flexible plan and trusting their own instincts were essential ingredients for their success.
Key points for Viesturs’ lectures:
- "Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory". Climbing a mountain has to be a round trip. You need to plan ahead and have resources to make sure you finish what you set out to do.
- "Listen to your instincts". Make decisions based on your experience and gut feelings. Don't get caught up in group think.
- "Temper your ambition in the face of overwhelming risk". Be patient enough to wait for the right time to move forward, even if others are going ahead. My motto has always been “The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay, and when to retreat.”
- "Patience and persistence are keys to success but I believe that passion is the most critical ingredient". If you are passionate with what you do, you'll perform better, enjoy the process and be willing to take as long as it takes to succeed.
- “Perseverance and maintaining your standards of excellence through changing conditions is part of any long term endeavor”. If you are involved in any sort of project or campaign, you have to understand that the bad times go along with the good times. For most things though, in the long run, there is usually an upward trend, but it can be a bumpy road along the way. Believing in yourself and not compromising your standards for the sake of quick success are essential to any sustainable endeavor.
- “Teamwork, regardless of the industry, is the same: It is an implicit trust in and recognition that the person next to you is No. 1”.
Listen to the mountain by Ed Viesturs at TEDxRainier
Watch Ed Viesturs in action
