Greg Mortimer
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 10 December 1952
Climbing career | |
Type of climber | Mountaineer |
First ascents | Mount Everest, Nepal by a new route (1984), Mount Minto, Antarctica (1988), many first Australian ascents of major peaks. |
Major ascents | Annapurna II (1983), Mount Everest (1984), K2 (1990), Manaslu (2002), |
Greg Mortimer OAM (born 10 December 1952) is an Australian mountaineer.[1] Mortimer is notable as one of the first two Australians (with Tim Macartney-Snape) to successfully climb Mount Everest, on 3 October 1984.[2] Their ascent, without supplemental oxygen,[3] was the first via the North Face and Norton Couloir. It is one of the climbing routes that has not been repeated often.[4]
Early life []
Mortimer was born in 1952 in Sydney, New South Wales and grew up around Gladesville and Bondi Junction.[1] He graduated in geochemistry and geology at Macquarie University, Sydney. He then worked as a survival-training instructor and as a Scientific Affairs Adviser for the New Zealand Antarctic Division.[4]
Mountaineering[]
Mortimer was the first to climb Annapurna II by its south face (1983), the first Australian to climb Antarctica's highest peak, Vinson Massif (1988), the first[citation needed] to climb Mount Minto[5] in the Admiralty Mountains of Antarctica (1988)[6][7] and, with Greg Child, one of the first two Australians to climb K2 (1990).
In 1991 Mortimer founded .
Since 1992 he has led over 80 expeditions to Antarctica, many on a commercial basis with Aurora Expeditions.[8]
In 1994, Mortimer summited Chongtar in China, which was then the world's highest unclimbed peak.[4]
Honours and legacy[]
Mortimer is the recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and three Australian Geographic Society medals. In 2019, Aurora Expeditions named its newbuild expedition vessel the Greg Mortimer. [9]
The crux pitch on the North Face of Everest route pioneered by Mortimer is known as "Greg's Gully".[4]
Books about Greg Mortimer[]
- White Limbo: The First Australian Climb of Mt Everest (1985) by Lincoln Hall, Kevin Weldon, Sydney.
- The Loneliest Mountain: The Dramatic Story of the First Expedition to Climb Mt Minto, Antarctica (1989) by Lincoln Hall, Simon & Schuster, Sydney.
- First Ascent: The Life and Climbs of Greg Mortimer (1996) by Lincoln Hall, Simon & Schuster, Sydney.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Greg Mortimer". Talking Heads with Peter Morrison. ABC. 5 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ White Limbo: The First Australian Climb of Mt Everest (1985) by Lincoln Hall, Kevin Weldon, Sydney.
- ^ Cowle, June (6 September 2009). "Brunch - Greg Mortimer". ABC. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Greg Mortimer OAM". Australian Museum. 13 November 2018.
- ^ The Loneliest Mountain: The Dramatic Story of the First Expedition to Climb Mt Minto, Antarctica (1989) by Lincoln Hall, Simon & Schuster, Sydney
- ^ "Everesthistory.com - Greg Mortimer". Everest History. Everest News. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ *First Ascent: The Life and Climbs of Greg Mortimer (1996) by Lincoln Hall, Simon & Schuster, Sydney
- ^ "About Us - Aurora Expeditions". www.auroraexpeditions.com.au.
- ^ https://www.expeditioncruising.com/2018/06/aurora-expeditions-announces-farewell.html
See also[]
- 1952 births
- Australian mountain climbers
- Australian summiters of Mount Everest
- Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
- Australian National University alumni
- Living people