Eddie Bauer Guide Melissa Arnot summited Mt. Everest for the sixth time, breaking the world record for the most summits completed by an American woman in history- a record she has held since 2013. The summit occurred on May 23, 2016.
Arnot, a professional mountain guide and high-altitude climber, is also the first American woman to successfully complete the climb on the world’s highest peak without using supplemental oxygen. While her previous summits have been made via the South Col route from the Nepal side, this year was her first successful summit traveling the North side, from China.
“This has been an emotional journey, to say the least,” said Arnot. “Everest is an incredible mountain that continues to challenge and intrigue me. I never anticipated that I would be lucky enough to summit once, let alone six times. Climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen has been a goal of mine for a long time. When you succeed at reaching your goal, it makes you reflect on the hard days, the work, and lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’m incredibly fortunate to have this experience.”
Her 2015 attempt to summit Mt. Everest without the aid of oxygen support, from the South Col, was interrupted by the 7.9-magnitude Nepal earthquake last April that killed more than 8,000 people and left more than 21,000 injured. She has devoted much of her time to helping rebuild the South Asian country through the charity she co-founded with fellow climber David Morton in 2010, The Juniper Fund.
“We are extremely proud of Melissa for another record-breaking Everest summit. An accomplished athlete and professional guide who inspires others to live their adventure, Melissa embodies everything our guide program stands for,” said Mike Egeck, Chief Executive Officer, Eddie Bauer. “Melissa is also a person who both respects the culture of climbing and has committed herself to helping the people of Nepal through her work with The Juniper Fund. We are happy she is back safe and we look forward to celebrating her next adventure.”
In 1963, Eddie Bauer outfitted the first Americans to summit Everest, the company asserts. Today, Eddie Bauer’s Guides and Athletes include Dave Hahn (16 summits), who holds the record for most summits of any non-Sherpa, Ed Viesturs (7 summits), Adrian Ballinger (6 summits), Dave Morton (6 summits), Jake Norton (3 summits), and Seth Waterfall (3 summits).
