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Dee Johnson Dee Johnson and Associates, 34610 South County Highway J Bayfield, WI 54814 715-779-3012 deejohnson@centurytel.net Lori Schneider Empowerment Through Adventure PO Box 671 Bayfield, WI 54814 715-779-9741 www.empowermentthroughadventure.com lori@etadventure.com |
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Wisconsin woman ready to challenge Everest,
last of Seven Summits quest. |
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Only about 200 Americans have summited Mt. Everest, about 10 percent
of them women, even fewer over 50 years old, and none of them with
multiple sclerosis (MS). Lori Schneider of Bayfield, Wisconsin hopes
to change those statistics in April 2009 when she mounts her
challenge of the 29,035-foot peak. Besides living with MS, other things set Schneider apart from typical Everest climbers. She's doing all of her training in the Bayfield area (population 611) instead of high altitude training camps, and has no big corporate sponsors.  Her training regimen is almost full time as her departure date,
March 26, 2009 approaches. She slings a 50-pound pack onto her back
and jumps onto the treadmill at the Bayfield Recreation Center
several times a week - she's the only one there sidestepping on the
track. At 1,283 feet, the local Mount Ashwabay ski hill is more than
dwarfed by Everest, but she treks up and down the ski slopes with
the ubiquitous back pack in the mornings regardless of weather,
before the chair lifts groan into motion for the day's skiers. Some
days she flings herself down the slope to practice stopping her
slide with her ice axe, a skill that can save her life on Everest.
She walks on ladders propped up on hay bales or on trees to
simulate crossing crevasses and climbing ladders on Everest.
Exercise balls and a variety of low tech equipment help her
condition every muscle and joint for the climb.It's not naïve for Schneider to think she can reach the top of Everest despite her local, low tech training. A skilled mountain climber, she has already summited six of the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each of the continents, the most recent being Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December 2008. On the six summits she climbed more than 104,000 feet, almost 20 miles of ascent. She has traveled to Nepal, seen Mt. Everest and knows very well what lies ahead of her.  Schneider is motivated by her desire to inspire and help people with
MS and other life challenges. "I want to help people move beyond
their limitations and the labels that prevent them from living their
dreams," she says. MS is a condition that attacks nerve cells in the
brain and spinal cord and can produce neurological symptoms and
physical and cognitive disabilities. For Schneider, it was diagnosed
in 1999 when the left side of her body became numb overnight. Those
symptoms and vision problems come and go, and she's grateful that
her symptoms have abated in recent years. "At first I saw my MS
diagnosis as devastating," says Schneider. "Now I see that it has
been a positive catalyst in my life and moved me closer to living my
dreams. My mission is to give hope to others who are living with
this condition." In presentations to school children, she defines MS
as meaning "mostly strong."To accomplish her goals, Schneider founded Empowerment Through Adventure to develop public speaking programs, and climbing adventures for people who have been diagnosed with MS. Schneider's progress up Everest, which may be a journey of up to two months, will be updated at the website of Empowerment Through Adventure, www.EmpowermentThroughAdventure.com. Lori's books and opportunities to donate are also available at the site. 
For more information or to book a speaking engagement, contact
Lori@ETAdventure.com. Photographs and a
biography are available. To learn more about climbing Everest,
view a
slideshow of a previous expedition. |
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