Adventurer Lei Wang departs in less than 2 weeks to make an attempt on Everest. Born in Beijing, she says that she grew up as a typical city girl. She graduated with a B.S degree in Computer Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing followed by an M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After working in the IT field for several years, she decided to pursue her M.B.A. degree at Wharton. It was there that she was first introduced to ice climbing and mountaineering and climbed her first glacier mountain in Ecuador (Cotopaxi). Upon graduation, she traveled to Africa where she reached the summit of Kilimanjaro.

She begin pursuing her dream of the Seven Summits and Two Poles in 2004. She has successfully climbed six of the seven summits and has skied to both the North and South Poles. We caught up with Lei with just days before her departure and got the chance to interview her about her current and past expeditions along with her motivation and inspiration.

What made you decide to do this series of expeditions?

It’s funny how life drops a few curveballs into your lap. These coincidences are what make life interesting! If it wasn’t for me seeing the movies “Touching the Void”, or “Women of K2”, I would probably have never discovered my passion for adventures!!

Likewise, as part of a MBA school program at Wharton I was first introduced to ice climbing and mountaineering, and climbed my first glacier mountain, Cotopaxi in Ecuador. When I graduated, I decided to head out to Africa and climb Kilimanjaro.. It was during that climb, I realized how challenging it was for me and how my lack of fitness almost made me fail. I love challenges and overcoming them. Remembering what happened in the two movies, I realized that I wanted to be one of them. A spark was ignited, a passion to accomplish what had previously seemed invisible or impossible. Without knowing “how”, I decided I “would” and show the world that others can do it to.

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A few months back…we posted an interview with Eric Larsen prior to his departure for his expedition to the South Pole as part of his Save The Poles Expedition. While at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market last month, I got to sit down with Eric and we have another interview with him about his trip and his gear and his outlook on the next phase of his expedition to the North Pole. Check out this great video from his recent expedition to the South Pole. And I thought that I was cold here in Pittsburgh with our unusual wintery weather.

Thanks to Kraig over at The Adventure Blog for the heads up on this video.

Photo above by Lonnie Dupre

We have posted numerous times about Jordan Romero, the teenager (just barely) who is out to climb the highest peak on each continent. Last fall, Jordan reached the summit of No. 6 by bagging Carstensz Pyramid (16,023 feet), Papua-Irian Jaya-Indonesia.

Jordan has already reached the summit of Denali (North America), Aconcagua (South America), Mt Elbrus (Europe), Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Mt. Kosciuszko (Australia). He has set records on several of these as well as the youngest to set foot on the summit.

So, what does that leave for the young mountaineer?

The short list includes Vinson Massif (Antarctica) and Everest (Asia).

After speaking with Jordan’s father, Paul Romero, the team plans to depart on March 28 for an attempt on Everest (North Side). This would make Jordan the youngest person to summit the world’s tallest mountain at over 29,000 feet. If they are successful with Everest, they will then turn their attention towards Antarctica in December.

In preparation for this feat, Jordan will be spending a lot of time training which includes some climbing on Mt. Hood and others. He has also set his sights on climbing the highest point in each of the 50 states. Of course, he has already climbed the highest point in North America (Mt. McKinley).

We will keep you updated on his progress as it develops.

Enjoy the short clip above of Jordan reaching the summit of number 4 of the United States 50 (Mt. Humphreys in Arizona).

Polar explorer Eric Larsen announced today that he has reached the South Pole, the first completion in his three-part “Save the Poles” expedition. Upon completion, he will be the first-ever to make it to the North Pole, South Pole and summit of Mt. Everest in a continuous 365-day period. His purpose? To travel to the “front lines” of global warming to document the changes occurring in these last great frozen places. Larsen will also use the expedition as a platform to advocate strategies for reducing carbon emissions and collect relevant scientific data.

“This expedition will tell the story of these remote places so we can better understand how our actions affect the poles and ultimately the planet,” Larsen says. “We all need to be reminded that we must act now to stop global warming.”

Larsen will be leaving March 1, 2010 to start his second leg of the expedition heading to the North Pole. To help tell the story, Larsen is partnering with the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center and the Protect Our Winters Foundation to produce 12 hours of climate change curriculum to provide teachers with the tools needed to prepare the next generation of students for what will be the defining issues of their time. Larsen will also team up with the Center for Biological Diversity to petition the Senate and President on the need for stronger climate legislation.

A member of The Explorer’s Club, Larsen isn’t new to the world of polar exploration. Larsen completed the first-ever summer expedition to the North Pole in 2006 where he pulled and paddled modified canoes over 600 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean. In January 2009, Larsen successfully led an international team to the geographic South Pole becoming one of only a few Americans to ski to both poles.
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