Calgary climber summits tallest peak on every continent

Only a few hundred people on the planet have scaled the highest summit on each of the seven continents, and Calgary's Laval St. Germain has just become one of them.

The seasoned explorer reached the peak of Mount Vinson, the tallest mountain in Antarctica, on Dec. 31,capping off his quest to earn the SevenSummits accolade.

Things got off to a slow start for St. Germain, who had to wait 10 days for unco-operative weather to pass before beginning his4,892-metreclimb.

The career pilot bided his time fat biking and skiing daily at Union Glacier Camp.

"You gotta do something. You have to stay fit for the mountain," St.Germaintold CBC's the Calgary Eyeopener."And they serve really good food, so it's a dangerous place. You can gain a lot of weight."

St. Germain's weather window opened up on New Year's Eve, and hetackled the "big, cold slog" without too much fuss, he said.

Bittersweet milestone

"I love pushing myself out there," said St. Germain, who the very next day climbed Antarctica's third tallest mountain, Mount Shinn, which stands 4,661 metres tall.

The avid explorer has climbedMount Everest without oxygen support. He's rowed solo across the North Atlantic ocean. He's cycled from the Arctic Ocean to Yukon in winter.

"I love going to the remote places of the world," he said. "It's more of an excuse to see the world, I think.

St. Germain said attaining the SevenSummits is bittersweetbecause it wraps up this saga of adventures. But he has no plans to stop exploring or to stop raising money for cancer research along the way.

What's next on his list?

"Stay tuned. It's top secret. There'll be something," he said with a laugh.

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With files from theCalgary Eyeopener.