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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY IN COLORADO SPRINGSwww.usafa.af.mil June 14, 2013

BLACK FOREST FIREAirmen help fight massive blaze.Page 4

Academy

SPIRIT

CADET TRAININGStudent engineers build homes.

Page 6

TOP OF THE WORLDAcademy officer completes Everesttrek. Pages 8-9

SPORT ACHIEVEMENTSFalcon athletes make the grade.Page 12

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8 Academy Spirit FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2013

F 9FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2013 Academy Spirit

COURTESY PHOTOS

By Amber BaillieAcademy Spirit staff writer

Reaching the top o the worlds tallest mountain wasthe most all-encompassing, incredible endeavor oneAcademy ofcer has undertaken.

Capt. Marshall Klitzke, an instructor pilot with the557th Flying Training Squadron here, was away or 58days, shed 28 pounds and trekked more than 44,000eet to reach the top o the world, Everests 29,029-ootsummit in Nepal, May 20 with our o the six Airmenon his team reaching the summit, three being Academygraduates.

The summit was an immense accomplishment, butyoure only up there or 15-20 minutes, the 31 year-oldLemmon, S.D., native said. Its really about the wholeexperience o Everest, such as getting through the Hil-lary Step (a 40-oot wall o rock and ice), enjoying theendless beauty o the trail, and hanging out with theguys at base camp. Its the entire climb that Ill remem-ber, the summit being a highlight.

Klitzke was humbled by the immense support he re-ceived rom his amily, riends and squadron and saidthey brought him continual motivation during theclimb.

I thought about them going up Everest and carriedthat with me because I didnt want to let them down,Klitzke said. It took me back to my previous climbsand experiences growing up, reminding mysel, Yourenot going to quit- its not an option.

Klitzke said it was through prior lie experiences,particularly summiting Nepals 22,349 oot peak AmaDablam that strengthened him or Everest.

When I climbed Ama Dablam, that was the mostphysically exhausted Ive ever been, Klitzke said. Ilearned so much rom that mountain that I was ableto apply it to Everest, and on summit day, I was veryprepared.

Klitzke said the Sherpa guides were very resourceulduring the teams climb. He described their culture asincredibly seless, simple and respectul.

They dont think anything o it, its just the way theyare, Klitzke said. I you need help with something,theyll go out o their way to help you with a solution .They dont have plasma TVs, a sports center and Star-bucks on every corner, and in a way, it made me e nviousbecause they dont have all the distractions that we getentrapped with here.

Climbing the Khumbu Iceall, one o the most dan-gerous stages o the southern route on Everest, was anexperience Klitzke said he enjoyed.

You have these ice ormations that are just teeteringon their corners and they dey physics, Klitzke said.A 10,000 pound block o ice should be alling over.Youre either climbing over it, under it or on top o it.Mountaineering wise, Ill probably never experiencethat again.

He said the beauty o the husky glacier was breath-taking.

Wed usually head o at night and then the sun

would begin to rise as we were getting through the ice-all, Klitzke said. I youre there at the right time andthe sun is hitting it right, you just see deep blues, teals in

the ice like youve never seen beore. It was really beau-tiul.

Air Force CV-22 Osprey pilot and creator o the U.S.Air Force Seven Summits Challenge, Maj. Rob Mar-shall, said the team was able to bond every morningwhen theyd unurl the American Flag at each camp.

On sunny days, wed sit around the ag talking aboutthe days climb or listening to music on a solar-poweredspeaker, Marshall said. We were all awully proud othat American Flag and took great pride in being parto something bigger than ourselves.

He said Klitzke was a huge asset to the team.His combination o excellent physical ftness and pre-

vious experience climbing in the Himalayas strength-ened the team and helped mitigate our risk, Marshallsaid. I especially appreciated his calm demeanor andsharp, yet sot-spoken, personality.

The team had to wait eight days to summit due toweather. Klitzke said the biggest challenge he aced onthe mountain was fnding patience.

This mountain you had to be patient and take yourtime, Klitzke said. You had to do the acclimationclimbs because physiologically, you wouldnt be able tohandle it. You had to retrace your steps over and overagain. Its a climb that you know is going to physically

hurt, it was tough and required a lot o endurance, butyou just accept it and push through it.

Two climbers on the team, Capt. Colin Merrin and

Sta Sgt. Nick Gibson, turned back 2,000 eet romthe summit due to a respiratory inection and potentialrostbite, respectively.

I was so proud o their smart risk-management deci-sion, but it was a punch to the gut to know these twostrong guys got a stroke o bad luck preventing themrom going to the summit, Marshall said.

During his push to the summit, Klitzke burned ap-proximately 15,000 calories in a 36-hour period.

It was seven hours to the summit and a 4,000- to5,000-oot elevation gain that day, Marshall said.Youre exhausted, youre not seeing straight, and youburn up every last ree calorie. It takes you a good dayand a hal day to recover.

The team reached the top o Everest at dawn. Klitzkesaid the view o the summit was magnifcent and wishesevery person could witness it.

Pictures could never do it justice, Klitzke said. Youlook out at the Tibetan plains, see the sunrise over it andview the whole world in ront o you light up. Its a veryhumbling and gratiying experience, and it gives you asense o how small you are. Youre there or a short pe-riod o time but every second is worth the previous yearo training.

Klitzke said Everest was a great experience but wouldntattempt it again.

Its such a consuming endeavor and I accomplishedit, Klitzke said. Its time or other things. I will alwaysdo mountaineering but Im ready to move on to the nextchapter.

Marshall said the USAF Seven Summits team was thestrongest on the mountain. He said they would havenever been brought together or been so prepared i itwasnt or their shared military backgrounds.

While other climbers struggled to deal with the un-predictable and oten extreme conditions on the moun-tain, our teamwork, risk-management, and determina-tion (all skills emphasized in the Air Force) kept us inhigh spirits and health, Marshall said.

Marshall said its no coincidence that our out o sixo our Everest climbers were Air Force Academy gradu-ates.

The Academy and its mountaineering club plantedthe seed to seek new heights and fnd ways to improvethe Air Force, Marshall said. Our success is a testa-ment to the importance o teaching lie-long skills atthe Academy and introducing Airmen to dynamic situ-ations that oster real-time leadership. I Im lucky, Idlike to return to Academy and help continue this greattradition o teaching uture leaders.

Academy graduates on the team:rMaj. Rob Marshall, 34, a CV-22 Osprey pilot rom

Mercer Island, Wash., currently stationed at Bell Heli-copter in Amarillo, Texas.rCapt. Marshall Klitzke, 31, a KC-135R Stratotanker

pilot rom Lemmon, S.D., currently an instructor pilotat the Air Force Academy.rCapt. Colin Merrin, 28, a GPS satellite operations

mission commander rom Santee, Cali., stationed at

Schriever Air Force Base.rCapt. Kyle Martin, 29, a T-38/F-16 pilot rom Man-

hattan, Kan., currently stationed at Langley AFB, Va.

Academy flight instructor

summits Everest with twoother Academy grads

Pictures could never do it justice. You look out at theTibetan plains, see the sunrise over it and view the

whole world in front of you light up. Its a very humblingand gratifying experience, and it gives you a sense of how

small you are. Capt. Marshall Klitzke

557th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot

Conquered!

INSET: Capt. Marshall Klitzke, an instructor pilot with the 557th FlyingTraining Squadron here, gives a thumbs up at the top of Mount Ever-est in Nepal at 29, 029 feet.

ABOVE RIGHT: Klitzke treks up the worlds tallest mountain wearinga lightly insulated windproof hooded jacket. Team members used

these jackets for their entire trip.

ABOVE LEFT: The team moves through the Khumbu Icefall, a riskystretch of the Everest climb where large crevasses can open unex-pectedly.

TOP: The Air Force Seven Summits Team at Camp 4 along the SouthCol of Mount Everest May 19.