Come on over to The Seasons in Yakima next Thursday (3/20/08) to Central Washington Mountain Rescue's annual fundraiser and see Carlos Buhler's presentation of his exploits across the globe.
Here's the blurb that appeared in last week's YHR sports/outdoors section:
By SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
When Larry Nielson heard that Carlos Buhler was coming to Yakima to do a March 20 fundraising event for Central Washington Mountain Rescue, he was thrilled — but not at all surprised.
"I've never climbed with Carlos but I've talked with a lot of climbers about him, and you never, ever hear a negative thing," said Nielson, the first American to summit Everest without oxygen. "All of the people I know who have climbed with him speak of him with nothing but the highest praise, both as a climber and as a person."
Buhler, said Nielson, who lives in western Washington, "is not just a great climber — he's genuinely what I call 'a citizen.' He stands up for what's right, and that's something I really respect and hold in the highest regard. Everything you hear about him as a climber and as an individual is just astounding. He deserves every accolade he receives."
Accolades have poured in over many years for Buhler, whose March 20 photographic presentation will be at The Seasons in Yakima (101 N. Naches Avenue). Admission is $10, with all proceeds benefitting the mountain rescue group.
The legendary Lou Reichardt — former president of the American Alpine Club and the first American to reach the summit of both Everest and K2 — has called Buhler "arguably the best American Himalayan climber there is. Nobody has had such a long and distinguished career."
Climbing Magazine has called him "the most accomplished North American climber in the Himalaya." Six years ago, the staff of EverestNews.com selected "The Best of the Best" mountaineers in the world, naming only four; Buhler was the only North American of the four.
Buhler’s extraordinary climbing resumé enables him to command $10,000 appearance fees for presentations, but he’s doing the benefit for a tiny fraction of that — basically little more than his travel expenses to and from his home in Canmore, Alberta.
"I believe in supporting mountain rescue," said Buhler, a New York native who attended Western Washington University’s Huxley College in the late 1970s. "Those guys provide a tremendous service."
Buhler has established dozens of new mountain routes, including his successful ascent of Everest’s East Face, a route that had gone unclimbed until that 1983 expedition and hasn’t been repeated since. But although he was the first American to summit four of the world’s 14 8,000-meter peaks, all in extreme style, he had no interest in trying to be the first to reach the top of all 14.
That’s something that makes Buhler somewhat unique among high-altitude climbers — he prefers small-team, extreme-style ascents of lesser-known peaks to big expeditions on the better-known mountains. One example: He did a particularly difficult route on Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak, in what Climbing Magazine called "a remarkably bold, two-man alpine-style ascent" — the same way one might climb Mount Rainier.
The event is being sponsored by local attorney Rod Nelson (himself an accomplished climber) and his wife, Lani-Kai Swanhart.
All tickets are $10. Ticket outlets are:
The Seasons Performance Hall, 101 North Naches Avenue, Yakima, 509-453-1888
Sporthaus, 4104 Summitview Avenue, Yakima, 509-966-6695
Pacific River and Alpine Sports (formerly Mountain Mojo's), 315 West Yakima Avenue, Yakima, 509-248-2093
Show time is at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 20.
