2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide - 39

On Jon's website, jonkedrowski.com, there are numerous pictures
showing some of his mountain climbing journeys including Borah
Peak, Idaho - a summit of 12,662'.

In past years,
Jon has climbed
six of the seven
continental
summits including
Mt. Everest several
times. On August
14, 2019, Jon
summited
Mt. Ranier in
Washington,
another 14,000+
peak. A FWSA
banner accompanied him on
this journey.

Keynote Speaker, Dr. Jon Kedrowski...
Ski Mountaineer, Geographer & Author
by Randy Lew & Steve Coxen
Past Presidents, FWSA

Dr. Jon Kedrowski was the Keynote Speaker for the FWSA 2019
Convention. Jon is the author of three books: "Sleeping on the Summits:
Colorado Fourteener High Bivys", "Skiing and Sleeping on the Summits:
Cascade Volcanoes" and "Classic Colorado Ski Descents".
Jon's book "Sleeping on the Summits: Colorado Fourteener High
Bivys" was the winner of the FWSA 2019 Bill Berry Award for Featured Article. The book documents his summiting and sleeping on all
the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado. In 95 days in 2011, Jon climbed 73
14ers and slept above 14,000 feet for 55 nights.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University in 2002,
and a Master of Arts in Environmental Geography from the University of South Florida in 2006. In 2010, he earned a PhD in Environmental Geography from Texas State University.
Jon has climbed six of the seven continental summits (Denali,
Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Carstensz Pyramid), including
Mt. Everest in 2012, 2018 and 2019. In addition to Everest, Jon also
climbed Gasherbrum II in Pakistan on a ski expedition in 2013, an
8000m peak near K2 in the Karakoram. He has 500+ ascents of the
Colorado Fourteeners in all seasons, all the summits of the Pacific
Northwest Cascades, and Mount Rainier in Washington countless
times.
His expeditions to Everest in recent years (2012, 2015 & 2018)
have been featured on Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, NBC, Dateline NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and CNN. On April 25, 2015, Jon was at
Everest Base camp in Nepal when a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck. Jon's summit attempt was aborted, but Jon was able to
assist the Nepalese people with rescue efforts, as well as, collecting
data for the USGS about the earthquake.
Jon help found The N.O.D. Everest Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity
to benefit a handful of philanthropic and educational pursuits. Each

photos provided by
Jon Kedrowski

year the "Everest Scholarship" is awarded to a graduating high school
senior from an Eagle County High School in the amount of up to
$2,000 based on need.
He is a board member and active participant in the projects of
the Sherpa Foundation. Recent projects are centered on raising funds
following the 2015 magnitude 7.9 earthquake and rebuilding efforts
and need-based on-going assistance in the Everest Region of Nepal.
Just prior to our 2019 Convention, Jon had completed leading a
group on an Everest Basecamp trek before going back to Kathmandu
in the Khumbu Everest region of Nepal, where he rested for a few
days. He then headed to Tibet where he went back on Everest guiding
climbs on the north side and reached the summit of Everest in midMay via the north side route.
Jon's talk and video relived in detail his climb to the summit of
Everest, the periods of resting during the climb to acclimate to the altitude, the treacherous terrain, the resilience of the Sherpa's, and teamwork necessary to reach the top. His presentation gave everyone in
the audience a clear picture of what is involved in climbing the north
side of Everest. Jon was very inspirational, as he related his climb to
the challenges of life's journey.
Jon also attended our 2018 FWSA Convention in Reno. We look
forward to seeing him at another FWSA Convention soon. ss
Far West Skier's Guide 2O19 - 2O2O

http://www.jonkedrowski.com

2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide