Story: Mountaineering

In 1990 Rob Hall and Gary Ball climbed the highest peaks on all seven continents in seven months. Flanking Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund, Hall (left) and Ball wave the New Zealand flag after returning to Wellington following their ascent of Mt Everest. Another of the summits on this mission was Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa. Listen to Gary Ball talk about their successful climb.

Transcript

Gary Ball: We were always aware of the 'seven summits' concept. We knew that it had been done by perhaps seven or eight people but the fastest that had been done was in three and a half years and we realised that once we had Mount Everest under the belt which is the most difficult one to get a hold of, that we could probably break the record and do the whole lot, the whole seven of them in seven months.

Interviewer: What sort of pressures does that put on your body though just physically to do it in that time, forgetting all the organisation and the behind the scenes?

Gary Ball: Well, it's a big learning time for us. We're finding that we're suffering not just the pressure of high altitude but the actual pressures of travel, we're very, very jet lagged from we just raced down here from the USSR where we were climbing, and we've got a day's rest here today and then tomorrow we're on the move again heading for Australia. Yes, racing around the world is certainly beginning to take its toll on us. We're looking forward to a good Kiwi meal when get home.

Interviewer: I bet you are. Gary, just fill us in with the mountains that you've climbed so far. Started with Everest, what was number two?

Gary Ball: Number two was Mount McKinley in North America, we reached the summit of that on 28th of June.

Interviewer: Then you went to the Soviet Union?

Gary Ball: And then we went to the Soviet Union and climbed Mount Elbrus, which is just over 18,000 feet and came directly from Mount Elbrus to Kilimanjaro here.

Interviewer: Gary, what to Australia tomorrow that's a long haul from Tanzania. When do you hope to start climbing there?

Gary Ball: Hopefully on Saturday if we can get everything on time we should fly into Sydney on Friday night and we'll drive straight down to Kosciuszko National Park and climb there on the Saturday.

Interviewer: And what are the last two?

Gary Ball: The last two will be in November they will be – we have to wait for the southern season to come around again – and that will be Aconcagua in Argentina, which is the highest in South America, and Vinson Massif in Antarctica.