Richard Bass
Encyclopedia
Richard "Dick" Bass is the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah
and the first man to climb the "Seven Summits
," the tallest mountain on each continent. There is no relation with the Bass Family of Fort Worth, Texas
.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
in 1929, Bass moved with his family to Texas in 1932. After graduating from the St. Mark's School of Texas
, he enrolled at Yale University
at 16 and graduated in 1950 with a degree in geology
. After completing his graduate work at the University of Texas, Bass served two years with the U.S. Navy on board the aircraft carrier USS Essex
during the Korean War
. In 1953, he returned to Texas to join in the running of the family oil and gas business and ranching operations.
Together with Frank Wells, one-time president of Walt Disney
, Bass conceived of the adventure challenge of summiting each of the seven continents: Denali (Mt. McKinley), North America
; Aconcagua
, South America
; Mt. Elbrus, Europe
; Mount Kilimanjaro
, Africa
; Vinson
, Antarctica; Mount Kosciuszko
, Australia
; and Mt. Everest, Asia
.
Bass became the first person to achieve the seven summits on April 30, 1985. On that date, he also held the record for being the oldest person to have climbed Mt. Everest
. Details of his adventures were described in a book that he co-wrote, Seven Summits
. His feat is not without controversy, as one of the seven summits was the tallest mountain in mainland Australia, and not the tallest in Oceania.
PacRim Coal, co-owned by Dick Bass, is currently in the process of securing state and federal permits to build the largest coal mine in Alaska's history, the Chuitna Coal Project.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and the first man to climb the "Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
," the tallest mountain on each continent. There is no relation with the Bass Family of Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Early life
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
in 1929, Bass moved with his family to Texas in 1932. After graduating from the St. Mark's School of Texas
St. Mark's School of Texas
The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys located in Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas, USA. The School offers grades 1–12.-History:...
, he enrolled at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
at 16 and graduated in 1950 with a degree in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. After completing his graduate work at the University of Texas, Bass served two years with the U.S. Navy on board the aircraft carrier USS Essex
USS Essex
USS Essex may refer to:, was a 32-gun sailing frigate launched in 1799, participated in the War of 1812, and captured in 1814**Essex Junior, was a British whaler captured by Essex and put into service until recaptured in 1814...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In 1953, he returned to Texas to join in the running of the family oil and gas business and ranching operations.
Business and Adventure
In 1971, Bass opened the Snowbird Ski Resort. He became prominent in the industry due to his self-proclaimed “blanket curiosity, nonstop verbosity and hyper-enthusiasm.”Together with Frank Wells, one-time president of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, Bass conceived of the adventure challenge of summiting each of the seven continents: Denali (Mt. McKinley), North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
; Mt. Elbrus, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
; Vinson
Vinson
Vinson may refer to:* Vinson & Elkins, an American law firm* Vinson Filyaw , former construction worker convicted of kidnapping and raping* Vinson, Oklahoma, a community in the US* VINSON, a family of voice encryption devices...
, Antarctica; Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; and Mt. Everest, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Bass became the first person to achieve the seven summits on April 30, 1985. On that date, he also held the record for being the oldest person to have climbed Mt. Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. Details of his adventures were described in a book that he co-wrote, Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
. His feat is not without controversy, as one of the seven summits was the tallest mountain in mainland Australia, and not the tallest in Oceania.
PacRim Coal, co-owned by Dick Bass, is currently in the process of securing state and federal permits to build the largest coal mine in Alaska's history, the Chuitna Coal Project.
See also
- List of climbers
- Lists of mountains (for other climbing lists)
- Seven Second SummitsSeven Second SummitsThe Seven Second Summits are the second highest mountains of each of the seven continents. All of these mountain peaks are separate peaks rather than a sub-peak of the continents' high point...
- Volcanic Seven SummitsVolcanic Seven SummitsThe Volcanic Seven Summits are the highest volcanoes on each of the seven continents, just as the Seven Summits are the highest peaks on each of the seven continents...
- Three Poles ChallengeThree Poles ChallengeThe Three Poles is an adventurer’s challenge to reach all three of the North Pole, the South Pole, and Mount Everest.The Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge was the first in recorded history to accomplish this challenge in 1994. Kagge reached the North Pole on May 8 1990 with Børge Ousland; the South...
- Explorers Grand SlamExplorers Grand SlamThe Explorers Grand Slam or Adventurers Grand Slam is an adventurers challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and all of the Seven Summits....
, also known as The Adventurers Grand Slam - Eight-thousanderEight-thousanderThe eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
External links
- 7Summits.com, voluminous information within commercial site
- Mount Everest Info One Of The Seven Summits
- 3D Tour of Seven Summits http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=FDBAB8D732007047!480&tour=1&encType=1 in Virtual EarthVirtual earthVirtual earth may refer to:* Virtual ground - the node of an electrical circuit that is maintained at a steady reference potential, without being connected directly to the reference potential....
- Essay on the criteria for the Seven Summits
- Carstensz Pyramid and the Seven Summits