Kirstie Ennis is a veteran amputee turned mountaineer who is currently on a rapid ascent redemption climb of Everest to complete her Climbing For A Cause- Seven Summits expeditions.
U.S. Marine Sergeant Kirstie Ennis was serving as a helicopter door gunner on her second deployment to Afghanistan and her helicopter crashed. Due to her injuries, Ennis was forced into a medical retirement and in need of a new mission. In the early stages of her recovery, Ennis relied heavily on outdoor therapy to find her new purpose. Thanks to the outdoors she does more now on one leg than she ever dreamed of doing on two.
This is where her Climbing For A Cause initiative was born.
She found a way to be of service again, Ennis would climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents raising funds and awareness for non-profits. This led to her developing The Kirstie Ennis Foundation and now she can say she truly lives her life for others.
Ennis has conquered six of the seven highest summits.
2017: Mt. Kilimanjaro, (at 19,341ft the highest point in Africa) to support the non-profit The Waterboys Carstenzs, (16,024ft the highest point in Oceania), for The Heroes Project
2018: Elbrus, (18,510ft the highest point in Europe), for the nonprofit Glam4Good First attempt at Denali, (20,322ft the tallest mountain in North America), for Building Homes for Heroes, but Ennis was turned around 2,000ft from the summit, due to severe weather.
2019: Aconcagua, (22,838ft the tallest mountain in South America), in support of Merging Vets and Players
First attempt at Mt. Everest, (29,032ft the tallest mountain in the world), Kirstie chose to turn around at the South Summit, (600 ft from the summit) for the health and safety of her team.
2021: Redemption summit of Denali in May. Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, (16,050ft) in December.
April 17, 2023 Kirstie landed back in Kathmandu, Nepal for her Everest Redemption and she has been steadily making her way to the summit. She left Everest Base Camp on May 2, arrived at Camp Two by May 5 with a projected move to Camp Three in the next couple of days. Kirstie will once again show the world what it means to pay it forward by mountaineering with heart and purpose. Her Everest climb will be in support of The Kirstie Ennis Foundation.
You can message Kirstie and follow her here
share.garmin.com/kirstieennis
Password: KEverest23
Email: [email protected]
www.kirstieennisfoundation.com
P.O. Box 2182; Glenwood Springs, CO 81602
PRESS RELEASE
Submitted to the Herald Times
