KATHMANDU, Nepal — Three Coloradans have reached the summit of Mount Everest in the past few days and one woman showed her Broncos pride at the top of the world.
Kim Hess, who lives in Steamboat Springs but is from Glenwood Springs, unfurled a Broncos flag after reaching the top of Everest on Saturday and posted a photo to Instagram.
Hess suffered through bronchitis during her ascent, but she pushed on.
“Efficiency is key at altitude and I knew every time I had a coughing fit was depleting my body of precious energy. I felt rotten,” Hess wrote in a blog post on Mday 7. “One step. Five deep breathes (sic). Next step. Three deep breathes (sic).”
On Tuesday, Corey Richards of Boulder reached the summit without supplemental oxygen. Richards’ teammate, Adrian Ballinger, had to turn back near the summit because he was too cold.
Chad Peele of Ridgway also reached the summit overnight. And Tracee Metcalfe of Vail also reached the summit.
Also, Melissa Arnot became the first American woman to summit without supplemental oxygen.