Seven Summits, Seven Flights

We've all heard about a number of climbers attempting the Seven Summits, that is to say, scaling the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. But three explorers are hoping to take that premise one step further, and not only climb those seven mountains, but then paraglide off of them once they reach the summit.

The project is the brain child of Pierre Carter, Marianne Schwankhart, and Peter Friedmann, who have dubbed their adventure the Seven Summits, Seven Flights expedition. The team will be sharing their experience via their blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page. According to their latest updates, they have left for Russia where they'll be making their first climb, and flight, on Elbrus, the 18,510 foot tall mountain that is the tallest in Europe. They had hoped to start with Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, this past June, but permit issues prevented them from getting underway there. They'll now turn there focus elsewhere for now, with Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Carstenzs Pyramid being the most likely next climbs on their schedule.

The team is of course hoping to be come the first to achieve the feat of paragliding the Seven Summits, but they are also hoping to raise money for the Smile Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping impoverished and facially disfigured children in South Africa, the home country for the Seven Summits, Seven Flights team.

Seems like a very cool adventure. These three are thinking ahead. They'll be able to expend all of their energy on the climb, and take it easy on the descent thanks to a nice, relaxing flight back to the bottom. Good luck to Pierre, Marianne, and Peter, enjoy Russia!

Thanks to Alan Masterson for sending this my way!