Meet Suunto Ambassador Neal Mueller
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Name: Neal Mueller
Sports: mountain climbing, ice climbing, waterskiing, surfing, hard tail mountain biking
Date of Birth: 1977
Home Town: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Marital Status: Free as a bird
Website:
www.nealmueller.com
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2001 - Matterhorn, Zugspitze, Dreitorspitze, Washington
2002 - Mount Elbrus, tallest in Europe
2003 - Mount Kilimanjaro, tallest in Africa
2003 - Mount McKinley, tallest in North America
2004 - Mount Aconcagua, tallest in South America
2004 - Mount Rainier
2005 - Mount Vinson, tallest in Antarctica
2005 - Mount Everest, tallest in Asia
2005 - Mount Kosciuszko, tallest in Australia (7 Summits!)
2006 - Nipigon Ice Fest, Thunderbay Canada
2006 - Mount Rainier North Face (Liberty Ridge)
2006 - German Alps
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Neal, tell us how you have started the mountain climbing:
I grew up pushing the envelope - I built tree forts 50 feet in the air and swam across lakes with balloons tied to my ear to warn boaters. My sense of adventure began early in life and hasn't stopped. After some beginner's rock climbing at university I took a job with frequent travel to Zurich. "I would gaze out the 747 window at the Swiss Alps, and it became my focus." My first climbs were in New Hampshire and the Alps. With the help of books and advice from fellow trail goers I learned quickly and began tackling larger and larger peaks.
Could you tell us about some of your climbing experiences?
Since that time, I have climbed some of the world's most challenging summits, including ascending the tallest mountains on all seven continents. By completing the 7-Summits I am among 125 other mountaineers to complete this goal, and only a handful did it on the first try as I did. My expedition to Mount Everest lasted 73-days. During this expedition I lost 50 pounds while recovering from a stomach infection, helped carry the corpse of a fallen climber, and performed a high-altitude medical intervention to save a climber's life.
I reached the summit on June 2, 2005 and endured fifty-minutes on the summit of the world's tallest mountain in order to enjoy the view.
What mountain climbing means to you?
Climbing for me is about entrusting myself to exceed my own expectations. With each mountain I push my edge and see how much higher I can climb. My expeditions have taken me to the far reaches of the earth; from Antarctica to the Rockies, and from the Alps to the Himalayas. The mountains have been my classroom and laboratory for the past 5 years. Expeditions have taught me lessons about fortitude, trust and excellence - these attributes are associated with successful teams on the mountain and on Wall Street.
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