Colorado climber Chris Bombardier becomes first hemophiliac to summit Mount Everest
Chris Bombardier lives every day with a rare, genetic bleeding disorder. But that hasn’t deterred the Colorado mountaineer, who recently became the first person with hemophilia to summit Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world at 29,029 feet.
Bombardier has been climbing mountains across the globe and wants to educate others on hemophilia while at the same time achieving personal goals such as climbing the Seven Summits.
Hemophilia causes excessive steady bleeding into joints, muscles and tissue. Without the proper treatment, individuals may not live to see adulthood. This is corrected by replacing the missing factor in the body.
Bombardier, who has severe hemophilia B— a disorder caused by having a deficiency of factor IX, a clotting protein — replaces the factor himself by infusing it into his body via IV treatments.
Bombardier was always an active kid growing up and had a passion for playing baseball. He played in high school at Rangeview in Aurora, and went on to play collegiate ball at Doane College in Crete, Neb.
He got into mountaineering after college because of his uncle, Dave. That, and Bombardier was looking for a new physical outlet because baseball was no longer an option. He always wanted to capture Everest and considers it the pinnacle of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on every continent.
There were many ups and downs for Bombardier during his climb on Everest.
“Some of the downs were finishing the second rotation up the mountain on May 1, after that just waiting for a weather window to summit,” Bombardier said.
“We had to wait 16 days before we even left base camp for that summit push and weather window. That was hard, sitting there thinking about the summit, think about missing home, so
the waiting was a lot harder,” he said. “The mental challenge of being patient, seeing other groups going for the summit while you’re still sitting at base camp.”
Bombardier also dealt with stomach issues while climbing the Lhotse Face, a steep wall of ice that leads climbers up to camp three on the mountain.
“I was feeling like I was going to throw up while climbing the Lhotse Face,” Bombardier said. “That was a pretty miserable day; I thought maybe I was going to be done that day. I was lucky it cleared up.”
Bombardier’s guide, Ryan Waters, made the call in regard to weather and when they would push for the summit. The moment Bombardier received word they would be leaving May 17 for his summit push was a time he won’t forget.
“He picked the perfect weather window,” Bombardier said. “Maybe a little windy, but not bad.”
Bombardier finally stood atop the highest peak in the world on May 22.
“Standing on the top of the world was a surreal experience,” Bombardier said. “I almost turned around before the South Summit, the knife edge ridge of rock and ice before the Hilary Step, but my climbing Sherpa told me: ‘You can do this. You have a mission and purpose, and you can make it.’ We went slowly and together through the section and once we reached the top of the Hillary Step, I knew I was going to make it and I started to cry a little. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to make it. When I finally saw the summit, I thought about the flag in my pocket and how the guys with hemophilia in Nepal signed it. It made me think about how fortunate I was to be able to have the choice to climb and how this moment will hopefully bring attention to their need and maybe bring better care to people with hemophilia globally.”
Bombardier had a lot of support from family members and friends along the way. His wife, Jess, couldn’t be happier for him.
Jess had the opportunity to talk to Chris while he was standing atop Everest.
“In the video I shared, my face was frozen in the moment. I heard Chris’ voice and somehow they were patching me into Chris. He was on the summit, and I got to talk to him while he was on the top of the world,” Jess said. “It was an incredibly surreal moment to be able to talk to my husband while he was on the top of Mount Everest.”
Bombardier is giving back with his Everest climb, raising money for the nonprofit Save One Life.
Bombardier has plans to finish climbing the Seven Summits. He has climbed six: Mount Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Denali, Carstensz and Mount Everest. His final Seven Summits climb will be Mount Vinson in Antarctica.
“Going after the last of the Seven Summits is pretty wild. It’s strange to have dreamed about something for so long and to finally be able to finish it. It blows my mind every time I think about it and just proves the point that if you truly believe in something, and fight through the ups and downs, you can accomplish anything. It sounds cliché, but it’s so true,” Bombardier said. “There were so many moments where I could’ve quit. When my permit was denied, when we were broke, when I didn’t have a job, but we kept making progress and the goal in site and now I’m one step away. It’s pretty special.”