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Mike Mulrooney is First Nova Scotian up the Seven Summits

Mike Mulrooney has reached the summit of Mount Everest and has become the first Canadian from Nova Scotia to climb the famed seven summits. The Dartmougth-based 42-year-old climber fulfilled his five-year objective to climb the tallest peak on every continent this week.

Mulrooney spent over 15 years working in the energy sector and saved the funds for his climbs, which cost about $500,000. He told CBC that he was happy to pay for his climbs himself, saying, “I find too many people finance their own climbs under the guise of charity.”

Mulrooney is one of only about 450 climbers to reach the tops of the seven summits, including B.C. climber Elizabeth Rose, who became the youngest ever to complete the list at 26 last year. The first Canadian was Pat Morrow, who was also the third ever to complete the list. Over two dozen Canadian climbers have climbed all seven peaks.

Mulrooney is now planning on climbing Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world. You can follow blog updates by Mulrooney’s team (Tony Caine, Jim Dickinson, Seth Timpano and Todd Passey) here.

The first Canadians up Everest were Laurie Skreslet and Morrow in 1982, followed by Sharon Wood in 1986 (as the first North American woman to the summit) with Dwayne Congdon. Canadians to climb Everest twice include Chris Szymiec, Dave Rodney, Ron Hoglin and Jeffrey Dossett. We’ll continue to update the story as Mulrooney and his team continue to higher elevation.

Seven Summits

Asia: Everest
North America: Denali
South America: Aconcagua
Europe: Elbrus
Africa: Kilimanjaro
Antarctica: Vinson
Australia: Puncak Jaya / Kosciuszko

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