Rick Agnew
 Australian Alpine Mountaineer & High Altitude Sports Aviator | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | November 1959 |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | Alpine Mountaineer |
| Known for | Oldest Australian & 1st Canberran to complete Seven Summits |
| Major ascents | Mount Everest, Mount Fitzroy |
Richard "Rick" Agnew (born 1959) is an Australian alpine mountaineer and high altitude sports aviator who has completed the Seven Summits (climbing the highest mountains on each of the seven continents) climbing Mount Everest and many other peaks. He holds over 40 international and Australian speed, distance and height aviation records.[1]
Mountaineering
[edit]Agnew is the oldest Australian and first Canberran to have climbed the highest mountains on each of the seven continents[1] in a feat known as the Seven Summits.[2]
Agnew's interest in climbing was prompted by the climbing activities of his oldest brother, Brian Agnew, who was instrumental in forming the Australian Army Alpine Association (AAA) who led, co-led and/or participated in climbing expeditions throughout the 1980-90s, primarily in the Himalayas,[3] including the Australian Bicentennial Everest Expedition.[4][5][6] Other AAA members also included Pat Cullinan SC, OAM,[7] Jon Muir OAM and Zac Zaharias CSM.
Agnew has been climbing seriously since 2000 and has climbed, guided and/or co-guided on all seven continents. Expeditions include climbs in New Zealand and throughout South America, including the technically demanding Mount Fitzroy 3,405 m (11,171 ft), Patagonia, Argentina, volcanos in Ecuador and many peaks in Argentina, Chile, Peru and throughout the European Alps, prior to climbing in the Himalayas.
On an expedition to Aconcagua 6,961 m (22,838 ft), Argentina in 2007, Agnew was part of a team led by Jon Muir when it became apparent that Muir had succumbed to altitude sickness and couldn't continue to guide the team. At high camp, the famed Viento Blanco (white wind) caused all climbing teams at height to attempt an evacuation.[8][9] One of Agnew's fellow team members experienced life-threatening High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), needing immediate evacuation down the mountain and subsequently airlifted to Mendoza hospital. Agnew was left to lead the remaining team member's survival throughout a deadly night (including a tent fire and a death close by) at high camp. The retreat down the mountain the next day was memorable to Aconcagua's base camp which was also devastated and many teams lost the majority of their equipment.
After many successful summits throughout the world (North and South America, the Andes and in the Alps), Agnew was one of six Australians and two Britons who made it to the summit of Mount Everest on 25 May 2010,[10] with an expedition led by South Australian Duncan Chessell. Agnew finished the last of the Seven Summits with Mount Vinson, Antarctica in December 2014, becoming the first Canberran and oldest Australian to do so.[1]
Agnew's climbing continues with a successful speed ascent of the technical Ama Dablam 6,812 m (22,349 ft) in Nov 2015, climbing back up from the precarious Camp 2 to rescue a young Australian;[11] and an attempt on Shishapangma 8,027 m (26,335 ft) in May 2016 and a successful ascent on the eighth highest mountain in the world Mt Manaslu, 8,163 m (26,781 ft), Agnew being the oldest Australian to do so in Sept 2018.[12] A massive avalanche stopped Agnew from a successful summit of the world's second highest mountain, K2 8,611 m (28,251 ft) in Pakistan. On 17 July 2019 Agnew on the Abruzzi route was halted at the end of the famous Bottleneck's narrow couloir, reaching 8,350 m of K2's 8,611 m altitude.
Richard Agnew | |
|---|---|
 High Altitude Sports Aviator | |
| Known for | Speed, distance, and height records. |
| Awards | Over 40+ International & Australian Records |
Gliding
[edit]Agnew trained with several Australian gliding clubs, soloing with the Canberra Gliding Club prior to his officer and pilot training with the Royal Australian Air Force. Agnew is a three diamond badged pilot (Dec 1992)[13] who has achieved the Australian altitude record in a glider when he reached 10,000 m (33,000 ft) in 1995.[14][15] He achieved his 1,000 km Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) & diploma on 25 Nov 2005.[16]
Agnew is the winner of the Gliding Federation of Australia's annual Martin Warner Trophy,[17] for highest height gain, winning 17 times in the last twenty years.[17][18][19] Agnew has over 40 International and Australian speed, distance & height records.[10]
Agnew is a graduate of the Australian National University, obtaining a BSc(Forestry) in between bushwalking and learning to fly gliders. He undertook officer and pilot training with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy (Masters in Defense Studies), and University of Canberra (Master's in Public Administration and a Doctorate in risk management[20]). Agnew holds a post-graduate qualification in aviation medicine from Monash University.
When not summiting peaks, Agnew presents on the risk management aspects of high altitude activities, as well as other aspects of governance, assurance organisational resilience and risk management – having run public and private sector governance, assurance and risk management areas within PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloittes, Aurecon and with government.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Kelly, Emma (19 January 2015). "Canberra mountaineer Rick Agnew's amazing story of seven summits in seven years". The Canberra Times.
- ^ Bass List
- ^ Steffen, W., (2009), Himalayan Dreaming: Australian Mountaineering in the Great Ranges of Asia, 1922-1990. ANU Press (ISBN (online): 9781921666179)(pdf)
- ^ Cullinan, Patrick; Gration, Peter C (26 October 2018). White sherpas : reaching the top with the Australian Bicentennial Everest Expedition. Griffith, ACT : Barrallier Books Pty Ltd. ISBN 9780987414281 – via Trove.
- ^ "Review of |White Sherpas|" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Wilby, Sorrel, (1989), Beyond the Icefall, Australia's Bicentennial Everest Expedition (ISBN 0867773189)
- ^ "Sydney Writers' Festival". www.swf.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Darack, Ed (2010). "Weatherscapes". Weatherwise. 63 (5): 8–9. doi:10.1080/00431672.2010.503836. S2CID 219608661.
- ^ "Weather and climate in Aconcagua mountain". Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Canberra mountaineer Rick Agnew's amazing story of seven summits in seven years - Emma Kelly - Muck Rack". muckrack.com.
- ^ "Account Suspended". www.alyssaazar.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "The Himalayan Database, The Expedition Archives of Elizabeth Hawley". www.himalayandatabase.com.
- ^ "Badges and Diplomas". Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Going with the wind". 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Rick goes to great heights to glide". 29 July 2015.
- ^ FAI 1000km badge number 492 "Badges and Diplomas". Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ a b Sean. "Trophies - Martin Warner". www.d.glidingaustralia.org.
- ^ "Soaring Australia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Sean. "GFA Awards 2018". glidingaustralia.org.
- ^ "High Risk Adventures – A Risk Management Approach - Paladin Risk Management Services - Providing extensive risk management consultancy and training services". 28 October 2014.