As part of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge, Kyle Martin and a group of fellow U.S. Air Force members are aiming to be the first team of active duty American military members to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Kyle Martin had to miss registration. While his peers signed up for summer classes, Kyle was at 24,500 feet with limited access to oxygen, let alone the Internet or phone.
As part of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge, Martin and a group of fellow U.S. Air Force members are aiming to be the first team of active duty American military members to reach the summit of Mount Everest. If successful, they also will be the first team of military service members from any nation to reach the seven famed summits of the world: Mounts Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, McKinley, Vinson and Kosciuszko. (The team is blogging about its current expedition.)
When he’s not climbing mountains, Martin, 29, is earning a master’s degree in global affairs from University College, the University of Denver’s college of professional and continuing studies. A captain in the Air Force, Martin currently flies a T-38 at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
“It’s been busy between work, school and the climb, but each of those areas is an enjoyable respite from the other two,” he says. “Sometimes flying gets stressful and then I can head to the mountains; when I’m spent from climbing, I can sit down with my school work.”
With only two classes left before graduation, Martin credits his wife, Kelly, for keeping him on track to graduate, climb and manage work. “She’s my training partner, coach, nutritionist and editor,” he said. “There’s no way I could have gotten here without her.”
Wherever Martin finds himself, mountaineering is not far from his mind.
“I joined the team in 2009 because I was really impressed by the group’s vision to honor fallen comrades and show the world a positive and personal side of the Air Force through mountaineering,” he says. He learned to climb while attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as an undergraduate, and he has turned that passion for mountaineering into a purposeful venture with his team.
“I know sometimes the military seems like this big, scary, foreign thing to most people, but I hope mountaineering is something that people from Colorado can relate to,” he says. “We hope that our servicemen and women can see that when we work together and take care of each other, we can accomplish great things.”
The team left in late March and plans to reach the top of the world this month as they work together to promote teamwork, resiliency and safety. While the trip isn’t funded by the Air Force, the mission of the USAF 7 Summits Challenge is to highlight the branch’s commitment to personal fitness and growth while boosting camaraderie among airmen.