Brian Dickinson (born June 16, 1974) is a climber who soloed the summit of Mount Everest on May 15, 2011,[1] after his Sherpa mountain guide became ill and went back down to high camp (South Col, 26,000'). After taking some pictures and making a radio call, Brian began his descent, but within a few feet, he became snow blind. His vision did not fully return for over a month. His descent to high camp from the summit took over seven hours instead of the expected two to three hours. Brian ran out of oxygen on his descent but made it down to the South Col, where his guide met him to help him back to his tent. Brian holds the record for the highest solo blind descent.[2][3]
 Brian Dickinson at Kala Patthar | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 16 June 1974 |
| Website | briandickinson.net |
He has climbed the Seven Summits by climbing the highest peaks of all seven continents.
Dickinson spent six years in the United States Navy as a Special Operations Aviation Rescue Swimmer (AIRR). Navy AIRRs are members of the Naval Special Operations (NSO) community, consisting of personnel who take on the most impossible missions and the most elusive objectives, dedicated to being the top emergency response unit in the world. He did two tours in the Persian Gulf as a part of Operation Southern Watch with HS-2 on the USS Constellation (CV-64). His military duties were Combat Search and Rescue, Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator, Crew Chief, Aerial Gunner, Search and Surveillance, Vertical Replenishment and Special Warfare support.[4]
Brian's Blind Descent experience has been reenacted in television segments including the Christian Broadcast Network's 700 Club, the Weather Channel's Freaks of Nature, KING-TV[5] and Brian was featured on CNN's Anderson Cooper,[6] ABC's Good Morning America,[7] CNN's New Day with Chris Cuomo,[8] Huffington Post,[9] Fox Business Varney & Co.,[10] Success Magazine,[11] Redemption Movie Series, Weather Channel,[12] American Survival Guide Magazine, Simple Grace Magazine, Charisma Magazine, Guideposts[13] and more. Brian's Mount Everest experience also landed him as the top trending moment on Twitter and he is a sought-after guest for top podcasts and a motivational speaker for businesses.
Bibliography
editDickinson, Brian, Blind Descent, Tyndale House Publisher, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4143-9170-0[14]
Dickinson, Brian, Calm in the Chaos, Lyons Press, 2024, ISBN 978-1493078530
References
edit- ^ "Ascents - Spring 2011". Himalayandatabase.com.
- ^ "Everest Climber's Mountaintop Experience". CBN.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "A Story of Survival: Cisco's Brian Dickinson Conquered Mt. Everest". Cisco.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "A former Navy rescue swimmer reaches Everest's summit - and survives a harrowing return trip". Militarytimes.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Climbing Everest blind. Snoqualmie man lives to tell the story". King5.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Brian Dickinson (2014-05-30), Brian Dickinson Blind Descent interview with Anderson Cooper, retrieved 2017-03-16
- ^ "Video: Devastating Aftershocks Continue in Nepal". ABC News. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ Brian Dickinson (2015-04-28), 2015 Everest Tragedy - CNN, retrieved 2017-03-16
- ^ Leisure, Travel + (2015-10-15). "This Is What It Looks Like To Summit Mount Everest Alone". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Mount Everest climber on Nepal quake, Everest avalanche". Fox Business. 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "What Climbing a Mountain Taught Me About Setting Big Goals". SUCCESS. 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Becoming snowblind, one of the biggest... - The Weather Channel | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "A Desperate Prayer Answered at the Top of the World". Guideposts. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
- ^ "Blind Descent". Tyndale.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.