Climbing up and into a volcanic crater located in Chile's remote Atacama Desert, Seattle adventurer realizes new world record for highest altitude to paddle board at 19,364 feet.
SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Andrew Hughes set a new world record on a nearly 20,000-foot Chilean volcano, but it was not for reaching the mountain's summit on January 23rd, 2024. Within the volcanic crater on what is believed to be the current highest body of water on the planet Andrew set a new world record for highest altitude to paddleboard at a height of 5902M/19,364 feet above sea level. The record was filled with unforeseen complexities, from lost luggage, to illness, to the inarguable impacts of climate change altering the anticipated water levels where the record was to be set.
The idea for the record began during the early days of the pandemic. When the world stopped, so did the expeditions Andrew regularly took on. As it was for so many of us, within that time of isolation and stillness the opportunity to ponder the deeper meanings of our relationships to everything in our lives was provided – and for Andrew that included his relationship to adventuring in the outdoors. For it was not summits and remote explorations he missed, but the sense of connection to nature and the communities tied to these special places.
Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, Andrew's life had been spent as much - if not more - on the water as it had been in the mountains. "After climbing Everest and completing the Seven Summits, I felt a calling to expand my experience in the mountains by returning to the special places where I had witnessed rare waters gather and pool amidst the world's highest peaks and in so many unique locations," said Andrew. "Integrating the use of a stand-up paddle board (SUP) or kayak to access, enjoy, and experience these unparalleled places simply felt like a natural evolution and extension of my explorations and adventures."
Substantial research was undertaken as to the required components that had to be included for a new world record to be recognized. Next was determining what gear had the durability and portability to survive flying several thousand miles, trucking across the driest desert in the world, and then being carried by Andrew up a mountain on his back.
Most challenging was where such a record could even still be broken in the world. Most lists for highest altitude bodies of water include places where because of global warming those rare pools of water are believed to be extinct. Even the nearby Ojos del Salado pool – normally held as the highest body of water on Earth - was reduced from its already small size to a non-liquid icy remnant of its previous state making it incapable of any water based record. Thus, with substantial research and some advanced reconnaissance, it was deemed only one real option remained left in the world – the volcanic pool of Tres Cruces Norte.
Arriving in mid-January, two weeks were spent climbing local peaks, including up the highest volcano in the world Ojos del Salado, all in efforts to be physically prepared for the altitude and conditions that would be endured on the climb. Multiple sessions on the water were further woven in using Laguna Verde at 14,500 feet as a testing ground to ensure all systems were functioning properly.
On January 22nd, 2024, Andrew began his ascent of Tres Cruces Norte. A rarely climbed peak often overshadowed by its two neighboring mountains that stand at greater heights, it alone though holds a rare pool - which like a glimmering blue sapphire - sits within its dormant volcanic crater. With so few ascents, much of the preliminary planning for this record attempt was pieced together from available satellite imagery and a spattering of climbing reports spanning over a decade.
After camping for the night midway up the mountain, Andrew set off the following morning reaching the crater rim a few hours later. After climbing to the summit at 19,783 feet, he descended over 400 feet into the volcanic crater to reach the shoreline of the pool. Immediately upon the descent concerns came into view as there were clear evaporation rings indicating a water level below the anticipated 5915 meters gathered from all satellite and reports available.
Receding glaciation and lower water levels was something throughout the last weeks had been witnessed and which stood in stark contrast from Andrew's time here several years earlier. Climate change has put these highest bodies of water on Earth in its crosshairs and many such high-altitude pools from the Andes to the Himalayas are now already believed to be gone.
Reaching the water's edge and pulling out his Garmin InReach satellite device, Andrew was beyond relieved to realize that the pool sat at 5902M/19,364 feet. The record would not be shattered today, but it would still be broken.
"The journey to return to the Atacama and reach this place wasn't easy, but once on the water at last everything else that had gone wrong up till that moment really washed away as a pure sense of excitement, wonder and witnessing anew washed over me," recalls Andrew. "And our adventures should always make us better advocates. A world record is simply an opportunity to explore the deeper diverse elements that define a place and a chance for a more empathetic understanding so we can champion the preservation and protection of these special parts of our shared planet."
Andrew is ever grateful as well for incredible partners like Vital Proteins and ISLE - who provided the inflatable Switch board setup for the record. As he often states, "we never truly reach a summit by ourselves and summit sized dreams are also realized through the support of all those in our lives, from loved ones to beloved partners."
About Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes is a high-endurance record setting athlete and adventurer from Seattle, Washington. After facing several unexpected hardships, where the life he had constructed based on cultural ideas of success began to crumble, Andrew found a new path. This path led to the mountains where Andrew relearned to turn discomfort and challenge into growth and gratitude.
Andrew continues on a journey exploring the world and its' highest mountains. He has completed the Seven Summits (highest mountains on each continent) and six of the Seven Volcanic Summits (highest volcanoes on each continent) and is set to complete the rarely realized Explorers' Grand Slam in April, 2024 – a feat fewer than 75 adventurers have ever achieved – and which would make him the 19th American and 13th British/UK citizen ever to accomplish this endeavor.
In 2020, Andrew also became the fastest and first American man and third person ever to complete the Antarctica Trifecta with his climbing partner Roxanne Vogel by consecutively Skiing the Last Degree to the South Pole and reaching the summits of Mount Vinson (the highest mountain) and Mount Sidley (the highest volcano) in Antarctica. Andrew also holds a Guinness World Record set on Mt Everest in Spring, 2021.
Andrew's expeditions have evolved to focus on something that matters more than summits and reaching adventurous ends, that being making meaningful impacts in the world. Fueled by his commitment to sustainability, conservationism and combatting climate change, he continues to raise awareness and funds for Human Rights Watch's work on the Environment and Human Rights, creates programs for youth engagement with the outdoors, and seeks to elevate voices of those who are on the frontline of climate change yet often are not given a prominent position to have their voices and views heard.
Aligning and advocating for greater inclusivity and diversity in the outdoors is also fundamental to Andrew's view of the outdoors based on the belief that the more chances we can create relationships with our natural world the more empathetic and likely people will be to seek to protect our planet. Additionally, breaking down social and economic barriers to provide greater access to our natural spaces and places is part of his perpetual purpose beyond the peaks and adventures.
To interview or collaborate with Andrew Hughes, please visit: http://www.andrewihughes.com.
Media Contact
Andrew Hughes, Andrew Hughes, 1 2062288670, andrewifitshughes@gmail.com, https://andrewihughes.com
SOURCE Andrew Hughes
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