Andrew Lock

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Andrew Lock (born 26 December 1961) is Australia’s most accomplished high altitude mountaineer. His personal mountaineering project is to be the first Australian to climb all fourteen "eight-thousanders" (peaks over 8,000 metres above sea level). So far, he has climbed 12, with 16 personal 8000 metre summits, having climbed several twice.

His preferred climbing style is in small teams, climbing without sherpa support or auxiliary oxygen and along the way he has achieved five first Australian ascents (Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat, Hidden Peak, Manaslu and Annapurna) and three solo ascents (Lhotse, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu. He has summited Mt Everest, twice.

His first 8000 metre summit was of K2, which he climbed in 1993 with a small team that included Anatoli Boukreev. The mountain lived up to its fearsome reputation when two of his climbing partners were killed in separate falls and Lock rescued a Swedish climber. In 2004 he was a climber and cinematographer for the Discovery Channel six part mini series, Ultimate Survival – Everest, which has been broadcast on multiple occasions throughout North America. On that expedition, Lock personally rescued 3 members of other teams coming down from the summit, giving up his own oxygen along the way.

Lock has climbed with many of the world’s best, including Anatoli Boukreev (K2 in 1993), Göran Kropp (Broad Peak in 1994), Doug Scott and Voytek Kurtyka (Nanga Parbat Mazeno Ridge in 1995) & Ivan Vallejo and Inaki Ochoa (Annapurna 2007).

[edit] 8000 metre accomplishments

  • 1993 K2 (8611 metres) - 1st Australian ascent via Pakistan
  • 1997 Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) - 1st Australian ascent
  • 1997 Broad Peak (8,048 metres) – Solo ascent
  • 1998 Nanga Parbat (8,125 metres) - 1st Australian ascent
  • 1999 Hidden Peak (8,068 metres) - 1st Australian ascent
  • 1999 Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres) - Alpine style ascent
  • 2000 Everest (8,850 metres) - 1st Australian to lead a commercial expedition to the summit of Mt Everest
  • 2002 Manaslu (8,163 metres) - 1st Australian ascent
  • 2002 Lhotse (8,450 metres) - solo ascent
  • 2003 Shishapangma Central - solo ascent
  • 2004 Everest (8,848 metres) - 2nd personal ascent - Discovery channel expedition climber and cameraman
  • 2004 Cho Oyu (8,201 metres) - solo ascent
  • 2005 Cho Oyu - 2nd personal ascent – commercial expedition leader
  • 2005 Shishapangma Central - 2nd personal ascent - commercial expedition leader
  • 2006 Kanchenjunga (8,596 metres) - 2nd Australian ascent
  • 2007 Annapurna (8,091 metres) - 1st Australian ascent

[edit] References