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Breaking Barriers: To the Top of Everest and Beyond, by Eddie Taylor
February 9 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Eddie Taylor
Ground Breaking Everest Climber
• Member of first all-black Everest Expedition
• Skied Denali, North America’s tallest peak
• Climbed Yosemite’s El Cap in a day
On May 12th of 2022, Eddie Taylor joined six other climbers on the summit of Mount Everest for the first all Black ascent of the Nepalese mountain. Seven months earlier, Eddie climbed the Moonlight Buttress, a 5.12+ 1000’ sandstone wall in Zion National Park. These two ascents show the ability of Eddie to balance being a teacher, father, and climber.
From crimping up Madagascar’s 2,000-foot granite big walls to kicking steps up South America’s tallest mountain Aconcagua to skiing North America’s tallest mountain Denali to climbing over 50 laps on Eldorado Canyon’s The Naked Edge (5.11c), Eddie’s mountain adventures have been a vehicle for him to see the world and to gain both cultural and environmental perspective.
Coming from a demographic with the lowest graduation rate and highest incarceration rate, he has turned what traditionally has been seen as a barrier into success. Upon completing a double major and finishing his track and field career at the University of Colorado, Eddie went on to become a passionate rock climber, public school science teacher, head track and field coach, and Patagonia ambassador.
With 1% of the climbing community and 2% of educators being black, Eddie stood out. His experiences in the mountains and in the classroom taught him the need for change not only in the outdoors but in the world. Eddie hopes to share these stories and create a heritage for his community that will hopefully fuel and inspire future generations.