Centenary Graduate Summits Everest for Second Time

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Former Shreveporter and Centenary alumnus Joby Ogwyn '97 has reached the summit of Mount Everest for the second time.

Joby Ogwyn

The 33-year-old acclaimed mountaineer summited on May 24, according to his father, David Ogwyn of Blanchard, and is back in Kathmandu.

Mount Everest, which straddles the border between Tibet and Nepal in central Asia, is the world's highest mountain at 29,029 feet. Ogwyn climbed the traditional South Col route in Nepal.

Ogwyn, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., first reached the summit of Everest on May 12, 1999, at the age of 24. At the time he was the youngest American to accomplish the feat.

This year Ogwyn was attempting a speed ascent and climbed alone without the help of Sherpas, Nepalese who traditionally accompany climbers carrying gear and providing other assistance.

According to his father, Ogwyn reached the summit of Everest and got back down in nine hours starting from just beyond the Khumbu Icefall, a remarkable accomplishment considering it takes most climbers at least a couple of days to reach the summit from there.

The icefall, at 18,000 feet, is an area of large ice blocks and crevasses just beyond Everest Base Camp and is considered one of the most dangerous places on the mountain.

Ogwyn's goal was to climb without the use of supplemental oxygen. But after the May 21 death of Swiss climber Uwe Gianni Goltz, who was climbing without supplemental oxygen, Ogwyn decided to use some oxygen.

Ogwyn's father said his son used a partially full oxygen container above Camp 4 (26,300 feet). David Ogwyn said his son faced some difficult times on the ascent before making it down safely.

Ogwyn got some bad news when he learned that Inaki Ochoa of Spain, one of his closest friends and a climbing partner, died while climbing Annapurna, a mountain in the Himalayas near Everest.

Ogwyn has a action-adventure show debuting in June called "The Adventurist." It will air on Rush HD TV and National Geographic International.