The New Year’s resolution on Jon Kedrowski’s calendar
probably read something like this: Do everything!
Having earned his doctorate in environmental geography in
2010 while simultaneously taking his passion for climbing to a new level,
Kedrowski went on to complete a somewhat strange and notable accomplishment:
sleeping on the summits of all of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks (the 53
“official” peaks plus the 5 “semi-official” summits for a total of 58) in 2011.
(See “Sleepers at altitude” from Boulder Weekly’s Sept. 6, 2012 issue.)
All that work was great training for his May 2012 adventure
to Mount Everest, where he successfully summitted the world’s highest mountain.
It took two attempts for Kedrowski to reach the top of Everest. He turned back
on his first attempt due to foul weather and in hopes of avoiding the massive
crowds. In a season where 10 climbers lost their lives on the mountain,
patience and judgment contributed to a successful summit attempt and, more
importantly, getting down safely.
With a strong global climbing resume and the elusive summit
of Gaserbrum II in Pakistan in his sights for 2013, Kedrowski continues to work
and play in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. A native of Vail, he has over 400
summits on 14ers. His quest to sleep on the tops of all these peaks was made
into a best-selling book called Sleeping on the Summits co-authored with
friend and meteorologist Chris Tomer. Released earlier this year, the book
includes Kedrowski’s reflections on his adventures, amazing sunset and sunrise
photography and notes on the weather provided by Tomer.
“Sleeping on the Summits was pounding your body day after
day after day, and that more than prepares you for the extended exposure you
get at altitude on Everest,” Kedrowski says. “Everest was a 60-day expedition, while sleeping on the summits was a 90-day
expedition, making Everest and time away from home seem not so bad.”
Kedrowski and Tomer will talk about Sleeping on the Summits: Colorado Fourteener High Bivys at 7:30
p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Boulder Book Store.
You can catch up on Kedrowski’s latest adventures on his
website at www.jonkeverest.org.
