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The
Adventure Grand Slam: Bernard Voyer
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Bernard
Voyer is about to complete his “World Tour” via
the highest peak on every continent aka the Seven
Summits.
On
November 8, explorer Bernard
Voyer left Montreal for Antarctica, where he plans
to climb Mount Vinson, [which he did complete] the highest peak on the
Antarctic continent (4,897 meters) and complete
his “World Tour” via the highest peak on every
continent. If he succeeds, he
will make history as the first explorer in the
Americas to reach both poles and complete a World Tour
in this way, completing The
Adventure Grand Slam.
An extraordinary feat!
“Very
early on I knew the air of the St. Lawrence, the
pleasures
of
climbing and the desire to roam. Now I am racing
toward the horizon,
to
reach a pure white continent that belongs to humanity,
the Antarctic.”
Bernard
Voyer
He
began conquering the world’s highest peaks as far
back as 1997, climbing Mount Aconcagua (South America), followed by Kilimanjaro (Africa) in 1998, Everest
(Asia) in 1999, Mount Carstenz
(Oceania) in 2000, Mount Elbrus
(Europe) in
2000, and Mount McKinley-Denali (North America)
in 2001.
Climbing
Mount Vinson is an amazing adventure, one that Bernard
Voyer and Nathalie Tremblay will experience together.
Nathalie has already handled the important task
of managing logistics for the Everest (Asia) expeditions in 1997 and 1999. As a mountain climber,
she has Kilimanjaro
(Africa) in 1998, Elbrus
(Europe) in 2000, and McKinley-Denali
(North America), in 2001, to her credit. She was also
part of the expeditions to Mount Carstenz
(Oceania) in 2000,
Aconcagua (South America) and many others.
The
challenge facing Bernard Voyer and Nathalie Tremblay
is an interesting one. Mount Vinson is known as the
Earth’s coldest mountain. Winds can reach up to 100
knots. Located in the Sentinel range, in the heart of
the Ellsworth mountains at the base of the Antarctic
peninsula, Mount Vinson is the highest mountain near a
geographic pole. The difficulty of climbing the
mountain is exacerbated by crevasses, toppling seracs,
avalanches and, above all, the extremely violent
winds. The route is up the west side, where the
Branscomb Glacier offers the most direct route to the
summit.
This great initiative is
being carried out with the support of Summit
Partner Canada Post. “We share an international vision and an interest in
new technologies with Canada Post,” explains
Bernard. “The corporation has a strong image and
strong values, its slogan ‘From anywhere... to
anyone’ urges people to excel; they’re determined
and they love a challenge, just like us.”
The
Adventure Grand Slam consists of the South
Pole, the
North Pole and the Seven
Summits.
Dispatches
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