Ed Viesturs

Edmund Viesturs (born June 22, 1959) is an American high-altitude mountaineer, corporate speaker, and well known author in the mountain climbing community. He was the first American to climb all 14 of the eight-thousander mountains, and the 5th person to do so without supplemental oxygen. In 2023, Guinness World Records reclassified the first person to summit the true summits of all 8000ers and awarded Viesturs the record of the first ascent of all 14 peaks. This claim has been disputed, including by Viesturs himself. Viesturs took part in the 1996 IMAX filming of Everest shortly after the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which became the highest grossing documentary up to that time. Thirteen days after the disaster, his team summited Everest accompanied by a film crew. He also had a cameo in the 2000 film Vertical Limit. Clive Standen plays Viesturs in the 2015 remake of Everest telling of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.