Some folks don’t rest in their easy chairs after retirement. Ron Sanga enjoys his golden days on steep slopes: The Upstate South Carolina resident has scaled some of the toughest peaks in the world, including Ecuador’s seven highest volcanoes, Peru’s Tocllaraju and Artesonraju; Tibet’s Cho-Oyu; and Nepal’s Ama Dablam (soloed), Chulu Far East, Lobuche East, Annapurna IV and Mount Everest.
Before climbing the super peaks, Sanga owned a company that specialized in repairing high-rise buildings damaged in storms or plagued with construction defects. Repairing them meant hanging from a quarter-inch cable 200 feet off the deck every day. After retiring in 1999, Sanga traveled the U.S. in an RV, on the hunt for the perfect rock to climb. Two years into his travels, Sanga moved on to the big stuff. He ascended Everest in 2008.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, he’ll present the first of two slideshows on the Everest expedition (the second is on March 22). Sanga will share details of the nine-day trek to the base camp, show the gear he used, and talk about living on a glacier at 17,600 feet for two months.
Both presentations are free, but registration is recommended. Call 687-0918 to register. For more information on Sanga’s presentation and other REI Asheville events, please visit www.rei.com/asheville.
— Margaret Williams, Outdoors editor
