My Fellow Climbers

Greg Konrath, 42

Greg is from Lafayette, Indiana. He is an orthopedic surgeon and a partner in a private practice, the Lafayette Orthopedic Clinic. He and his wife Ana have three kids: Elena (11), Sean (10), and Erin (8). Greg has climbed many of the world's highest peaks and has attempted Everest before in 2004. He made it to Camp III before health issues ended his climb. This year, though, he intends to make it to top and when he gets there, the banner he'll unfold will be that of Candy Mountain (from Charlie the Unicorn of YouTube). Greg's a good guy and a strong climber.

John Soebbing, 45

John is from New York, NY, where he lives with his wife of 21 years. He works in IT sourcing for the Thomson Corporation (soon to be Thomson Reuters). An experienced mountaineer, John has already climbed 6 of the 7 summits (the highest mountains on each continent). Reaching the summit of Everest has been a goal of his since 1995 and he's excited to be here to give it his best shot.

Kent Groninger, 66

Kent and his wife Cathleen reside in Boulder, CO. He has been on Everest before, back in 2005. He attempted the summit with his wife but due to weather and health reasons (he had lost 30lbs while on the mountain), the pinnacle eluded him. Now he s back and ready to give the mountain hell.

When not in the mountains, Kent has leveraged his engineering training from MIT and Cornell to build a successful career, most notably as the executive director of the Boulder environmental laboratories for NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

Charlie Hyde, 55

Charlie is from Tacoma, WA, and is a grocery exporter. If you travel to Brazil and buy some Pringles, there's a great chance that Charlie and his company had a hand in getting the snack there. He's climbed 6 of the 7 summits and has attempted Everest once before in 2003. That year, weather was poor and summit attempts were delayed. Some illness had set in and, as Charlie puts it, he got worn down. In fact, once he returned to the states, it took him over a month to feel physically normal and maybe five months to feel mentally up to snuff. Charlie is dedicating this climb to his 96-year-old mother. He also has three children. His two daughters are a bit scared that he is climbing but his son thinks it is pretty cool. As for Charlie, he is a little scared too because he knows what lies ahead.

R.C. Scull, 21

R.C. is the youngest in our group from Rapid City, SD, and is a sophomore, civil engineering student at the South Dakota School of Mines. In the sixth grade, R.C. decided he would climb Everest. In a geography class, he learned about the mountain, set a goal to climb it, and has never looked back. Rather, he took steps to work towards his dream, first developing skills as a Boy Scout (he became an Eagle Scout by the age of 16 and went on to earn three palms). Then he attended both Outward Bound courses and mountaineering classes with Alpine Ascents. His first big mountain was Rainier (at age 17) and he has also climbed Aconcagua, Denali, Vinson, and Elbrus. He's learned a lot from these climbs, most notably about different cultures. He also strongly believes anything is achievable and likes to inspire others to dream big.

Dianette Wells, 41

Dianette, resident of Malibu, CA, is the only woman on our climbing team. About ten years ago, she was introduced to mountaineering when she and ten girlfriends climbed Mt. Whitney in CA. She loved the experience and has been hooked ever since, developing into a strong climber. Part of her experience includes a previous attempt on Everest in 2005. The weather did not cooperate that year, however, and she missed a shot at the summit. With six of the seven summits completed, Dianette is back on Everest this year to finish what she has started. With success on Everest, Dianette feels she will be ready to hang up her ice axe; she's committed to giving away her climbing gear to local Sherpa at the end of the climb. She has three kids: Brianna (17), Johnny (16), and MacKenna (11). Her fiance is none other than Todd Burleson, the owner of Alpine Ascents (the guide company and master mind behind our expedition). Congratulations to them both.

Mark Luscher, 60

Mark is from Albany, OR, a town about 60 miles south of Portland. Mark's a designer and builder of commercial and residential properties. Mark, as a hobby, is part of the National Ski Patrol with a home base of Santaim resort, near Bend. He's married to Valerie and together they have 6 kids, 11 grandkids, and another grandkid coming soon! Like many on the team, Mark has attempted Everest before, just last year in fact. His 2007 effort was unguided and Mark did well, making it to Camp III twice before health issues prevented further gains. With success this year, he'll have completed the seven summits.

Armand Musey, 41

Armand is from New York City where he worked as a research analyst for a number of years prior to becoming the president and part owner of a boutique investment bank catering to the satellite, media, and telcom industries. In April 07, he decided to take some time off and pursue the dual objective of climbing the world's highest mountains and obtaining a masters degree in modern European studies at Columbia. The year has gone well, studies are coming along fine (he has brought some text books to Everest btw), and with success on Everest, he will have completed the seven summits. Additionally, he has partnered with the American Red Cross to raise money via his climbing activity. To date, $45K has been raised. Armand identified travel through this region as his least favorite aspect of the trip - he not being a fan of the precarious nature of travel in this area. Rather, highlights of the trip for him so far include the treats served at the base camp bakery and the great mountain views widely available in this part of the world.