Summit meeting

Mike Sciacca

The view was breath-taking and John Rost, literally, was out of

breath.

That’s what the Huntington Beach resident vividly remembers about

his triumphant ascent at 10:30 a.m. on May 27 to the top of Mt.

Everest, the world’s highest peak that has an official altitude of

29,029 feet.

The expedition took the 40-year-old Rost, who was part of a party

that consisted of five clients, two guides and five Sherpas, two

months to complete.

“Reaching the top was a culmination of so many things,” he said.

“First off, you’re scared because you don’t know if you will come

down the mountain alive. Seven people had died on the mountain within

a 14-day period in May.”

Hours before he reached the summit, Rost had watched a “beautiful”

lightning show in the distance as it danced from cloud to cloud below

where he was stationed.

It was close to monsoon season, and in the distance, he could hear

a thunderstorm rumbling.

But by the morning of Summit Day, the winds had died down and

perfect blue skies gave way to hope. Yet during the final hours of

his climb, Rost said that winds reaching 50 mph picked up and clouds

descended over the top of Everest, which is part of the Himalaya

mountain range along the border of Nepal and Tibet.

“You feel very vulnerable to all the elements and everything

happening around you,” he said. “You’re just exposed to everything.

One little thing goes wrong and it could end your life.

“But I tried to take in as much of the incredible view as

possible, while concentrating on my footing. It’s really fresh in my

mind still, being so out of breath. It took us almost a week to get

down from the top. Summit Day, I can tell you, was one of the

scariest in my life.”

Yet despite the rawness of the elements he faced on Everest and

the grueling climb to the top, Rost, who began climbing during his

college days in Flagstaff, Ariz., says he has a personal agenda to

meet.

Everest is the fifth summit Rost, a father of three, has

successfully reached.

He first tackled Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, then

completed Mt. McKinley in North America, before reaching the top of

both Mt. Kosciusko in Australia and Aconcagua in Argentina.

His goal, he says, is to reach all of the world’s highest seven

summits -- and he will reach all seven, he added, within a two-year

period.

“This is a personal goal I’ve set for myself and when I set a

goal, I tend to accomplish it,” Rost said.

He leaves on July 8 to attempt to conquer Mt. Elbrus in Russia.

The expedition will be completed, he said, by July 23.

The final summit he’ll climb is Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, a climb,

he says, that is scheduled for the end of November.

Only 35 Americans and 100 people, worldwide, he said, have

successfully reached all seven summits.

Funds to finance the climbs are perhaps some of the toughest

challenges facing a climber, and for Rost, it was no different.

He said the cost of the Everest expedition totaled $55,000.

He was backed by Chase-Durer and wore two of the company’s watches

when he reached the peak of Everest. He said he will engrave each of

the two watches with sentiments of his climb and present them to his

sons, Alec, 10, and Christopher, 8, when the two turn 18.

He brought photos of his children, who also include Emily, 6, with

him to the top of Everest, and had a picture taken of him holding up

the photos of his children.

He trains rigorously at Los Caballeros Athletic Club, another

sponsor, in Fountain Valley, routinely working the StairMaster with

70 pounds loaded into his backpack and weights strapped to his

ankles.

Rost also received backing from Fiesta Auto Insurance Centers, of

which his is president and owner.

He called the Mt. Everest climb his toughest yet.

He dropped 37 pounds from his 6-foot-2, 195-pound physique.

“Being in top physical and mental shape is of utmost and crucial

importance,” he said. “Training intensely at Los Cab has really paid

off for me and a climber really can’t do this without support from

sponsors.”

Rost said that climbing Mt. Elbrus and Mt. Vinson will cost

$30,000 between the two, and he’s seeking further sponsorship for the

expeditions.

“You know, climbing a summit is like being on this bizarre

vacation,” he added. “It’s not a comfortable experience, at all, and

at times, you think, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ But, I keep training

and going back for more. There’s only two more to go before I reach

my goal.”