Show Notes: Ep #56 Part 2: Blind Descent on Everest

Check out Brian Dickinson’s website here!

About This Episode

Former Navy rescue swimmer Brian Dickinson was roughly 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Everest when his Sherpa became ill and had to turn back, leaving Brian with a difficult decision: should he continue to push for the summit, or head back down the mountain?

In this episode Brian shares his preparation to climb everest and takes us through the journey to reach the summit. Setting the stage for Part 2 where Brian descents from 29,000 alone and blind.

Brian Dickinson’s Story

Brian Dickinson (born June 16, 1974) is a climber who soloed the summit of Mount Everest on May 15, 2011, after his Sherpa mountain guide became ill and went back down to high camp (South Col, 26,000′). After taking some pictures and making a radio call, Brian began his descent but within a few feet he became snow blind. His vision did not fully return for over a month. His descent to high camp from the summit took over seven hours, instead of the expected two to three hours. Brian ran out of oxygen on his descent but made it down to the South Col where his guide met him to help him back to his tent. Brian holds the record for the highest solo blind descent.

Blind Decent

Alone and Blind at 29,000 Feet!

Former Navy rescue swimmer Brian Dickinson was roughly 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Everest—also known as “the death zone”—when his Sherpa became ill and had to turn back, leaving Brian with a difficult decision: should he continue to push for the summit, or head back down the mountain? After carefully weighing the options, Brian decided to continue toward the summit—alone. Four hours later, Brian solo summited the highest peak in the world. But the celebration was short-lived. After taking a few pictures, Brian radioed his team to let them know he had summited safely, and got ready to begin his descent. Suddenly, his vision became blurry, his eyes started to burn, and within seconds, he was rendered almost completely blind. All alone at 29,035 feet, low on oxygen, and stricken with snow blindness, Brian was forced to inch his way back down the mountain relying only on his Navy survival training, his gut instinct, and his faith. In Blind Descent, Brian recounts—in fantastic detail—his extraordinary experience on Everest, demonstrating that no matter how dire our circumstances, there is no challenge too big for God. Click Here to Purchase Book.