Raider Mark Pattison Completes Seven Summits
On Sunday, May 23 at 10:10 local time, former wide receiver for the Los Angeles Raiders, Mark Pattison, successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest and completed his goal of climbing the Seven Summits of the world.
And he credits part of his success to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"It felt so supportive and I was so grateful that I created a campaign called 'Emilia's Everest and the Lhotse Challenge'", Pattison told Kim Becker of Raider Maven when asked how the Raiders contributed to his success on Mount Everest.
"Not only did the Las Vegas Raiders throw in money to this campaign which we raised over $56,000, but also the NFL in a donation and funding grant, social grant, they also contributed. That was one thing that really meant a lot to me, I think. The other way is they put together several videos from several of my former teammates they were sending me over in Nepal."
Pattison had been preparing for this adventure for years and trained day after day so his body could find the strength it needed to get him up 29,032 feet to the top of Everest.
"Come summit day, I really struggled," Pattison said. "I dont know, maybe it's surprising or maybe it's not surprising, but it was very lonely at the top there and I felt myself on my own climbing this crazy mountain you know, above 26,000 feet and to the top at 29,032, and I had to tap into all those things: my daughter, I had to tap into these kudos, I had to tap into the Raiders, and I was so grateful."
Pattison left for Nepal and Everest Base Camp via Kathmandu on March 30 and spent almost two months preparing for the climb and acclimating to the weather and elevation.
He landed at Everest Base Camp on April 12 and climbed from camp to camp for over a month getting ready for the last ascent to the top of Everest on May 14.
You can follow Pattison's full Seven Summit journey on his social media channels: @MarkPattisonNFL and at www.markpattisonnfl.com.
Be sure to check out Raider Maven's interview with Pattison before he left for Everest back in March here.
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*Promotional photograph credit to Mark Pattison's Instagram.
