What has Dave Hahn done to merit nomination for an ESPY? Well, the list is extensive. For starters, here are some climbing facts about Dave:
- Reached the summit of Everest 10 times - more than any non-Nepali
- Reached the summit of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica a record 25 times (and counting)
- Climbed McKinley lots of times, and Rainier even more
- Traversed South Georgia Island a handful of times
- Worked as a guide for some 20 years, leading clients up mountains around the world
That in and of itself is probably sufficient to justify an ESPY nomination. But, Dave is more than just a climber with a lot of summits under his belt...He's also a great guy with a big heart and a down-to-earth personality.
I've gotten to know Dave well over the years, first meeting him in 1988 when I was a client of his on the Kautz Glacier route on Mt. Rainier. We later worked together as guides on Rainier, McKinley, and in the Swiss Alps. I have been with Dave on 4 of my 5 Everest expeditions (and on the one where we didn't share the expedition, in 2003, we met on the summit after climbing from different sides), and was fortunate enough to join him on the Shackleton Traverse of South Georgia in 2004.
In short, I've spent a lot of time with Dave in close quarters and in stressful situations, and know him to be one of the most humble and accomplished people I know. He (along with Tap Richards, Jason Tanguay, Andy Politz, Lobsang Temba Sherpa, and Phurba Tashi Sherpa) received the David A. Sowles award for their dramatic rescues on Everest in 2001...but Dave will never brag about it.
Dave holds records on Everest and Vinson...but he'll tell you its just part of his job, and he's lucky to get to those places.
Each year, Dave goes from Rainier to McKinley to Antarctica to Everest and back to Rainier again, not for fame or competition, but to help people get to their summits and safely back home again.
And, Dave has a great sense of humor, his dry wit having helped me through many a long night in crowded tents high on Everest.
And, it's precisely for that sense of humor that I ask you all to take a few minutes and vote for Dave Hahn for the ESPY as the Best Outdoor Athlete. Because Dave probably doesn't care much about the award...He probably thinks it's a bit funny that he's nominated for it...he'll be reticent to tell anyone about it, and will keep on climbing and guiding, doing what he loves and doing it well...and that's exactly why he deserves it.
- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.
